Out & About Magazine - June 2021 - Grow Your Own

Food Trucks Set New Course

Fresh Thinking for Craft Cocktails

In Defense of Larry Graham

Everyone is starting a garden. Here's how you can join the club.

JUNE 2021 COMPLIMENTARY

Wednesdays: June 16 & 30 July 14 & 28 August 4 & 18 5PM–7PM

The Brandywine Zoo is excited to announce a new happy hour series to Sip & Stroll through the Zoo and enjoy an adult beverage from Bellefonte Brewing or Liquid Alchemy Beverages. Fun animal encounters and activities for all ages!

Experience a wild evening out at the Zoo on Wednesday nights and appreciate a close encounter of a wild kind!

Alcohol is available for purchase, must show valid ID. Kona Ice is also available for purchase for all ages.

Social Distancing will be maintained and masks are required when not eating or drinking. Tickets are limited to allow for social distancing within the zoo and it is a rain or shine event.

Tickets: Non Member Adults $10, Children $7 Brandywine Zoo Member Adults $5, Children $3

Purchase tickets: brandywinezoo.org/events/specialevents/ Brandywine Zoo, Wilmington, DE • FREE PARKING The Brandywine Zoo is managed by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society.

NOW HIRING! ESTHETICIANS & COSMETOLOGISTS

Christiana Fashion Center | 302 731 2700 Wilmington | 302 529 8888

Your first wax is FREE*

waxcenter.com

*First Wax Free offer: First-time guests only. Valid only for select services. Additional terms may apply. Participation may vary; please visit waxcenter.com for general terms and conditions. European Wax Center locations are individually owned and operated. © 2021 EWC Franchise, LLC. All rights reserved. European Wax Center® is a registered trademark.

P4ResideV1.pdf

1

2/18/21

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

2 MAY 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

12:55 PM

2 INSIDE 2

Out & About Magazine Vol. 34 | No. 4

START

20

8 What Readers Are Saying 9 War on Words 11 FYI 13 Worth Recognizing 14 Learn 15 Open Streets Wilmington 17 Little Libraries

FOCUS 20 Grow Your Own 25 Annual Plant Sales

29

27 Growing Together

Published each month

by TSN Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact@TSNPub.com Wilmington, DE 19801

EAT 29 Food Trucks 2.0

DRINK 35 Fresh Take on Summer Cocktails

Publisher Gerald duPhily • jduphily@tsnpub.com Director of Publications Jim Hunter Miller • jmiller@tsnpub.com Contributing Editor Bob Yearick • ryearick@comcast.net Creative Director & Production Manager Matthew Loeb, Catalyst Visuals, LLC Digital Services Director Michael O’Brian Contributing Designer Allanna Peck, Catalyst Visuals, LLC, Contributing Writers Jill Althouse-Wood, Danielle Bouchat-Friedman Adriana Camacho-Church, JulieAnne Cross, David Ferguson, Mark Fields, Pam George, Lauren Golt, Jordan Howell, Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Ken Mammarella, Matt Morrissette, John Murray, Larry Nagengast, Kevin Noonan, Stacey Silvers, Leeann Wallett

Contributing Photographers Jim Coarse, Justin Heyes and Joe del Tufo/Moonloop Photography, Butch Comegys, Lindsay duPhily, Matthew Loeb, Matt Urban Special Projects John Holton, Bev Zimmermann

43 Homegrown Beers Worth Trying

LISTEN 45 Vox Cadre

35

47 In Defense of Larry Graham

PLAY 49 Fill in the Blanks

WILMINGTON 42 In The City 44 On The Riverfront Cover illustration by Matthew Loeb

45

EVENTS CALENDAR

All new inWilmDE.com coming this month.

All new inWilmDE.com coming this month.

Sign Up For Our FREE

Printed on recycled paper.

Editorial & advertising info: 302.655.6483 • Fax 302.654.0569 outandaboutnow.com • contact@tsnpub.com

Digital Subscription

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

5

I AM CREATIVITY I AM Chris Bruce King Creative

Events & More

inWilmDE.com

A Week of Prix-Fixe Dining at Wilmington’s Premier Restaurants

2021 Presented by:

June 13-18 Make Your Reservation Now!

Cafe Mezzanotte | Cafe Verdi | Chelsea Tavern | Crow Bar | Dorcea | La Fia | Mikimotos | Piccolina Toscana Tonic Seafood and Steak | University and Whist Club of Wilmington | Walter’s Steakhouse

LUNCH: 2 courses $15 | DINNER: 3 courses $35

CityRestaurantWeek.com

START

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING About Making Noise Motor City transplant Richard Fisher has built Squeezebox Records into a music-lover’s mecca

By Matt Morrissette, April 2021 Love the back-story on Richard and Squeezebox. Says a lot about pursuing your true passion.

— Gregory Cain Do yourself a favor and check out Squeezebox Records.

— Bill Ryder I love this place! Perfect spot to browse. Great mix of new and used vinyl. Great deals on used stereo equipment too! Staff is very friendly and helpful.

— Don Applebaum

SPEND YOUR SUMMER AT THE YMCA! Fun, pools, child care and youth fitness while you work out, basketball gyms, free group exercise classes and more!

About Service With A Smile From The Publisher

By Jerry duPhily, April 2021 Well done, sir. Had the exact same experience. J&J to boot. I had tears of joy at the end. Emotional that way.

— @beatsonista About WEED$?

Would legalizing ‘rec’ marijuana mean an untapped market for jobs and revenue, or a headache for Delaware and its citizens?

By Bob Yearick, May 2021 C'mon Delaware, don’t be the last state to legalize. It should be legalized, regulated and taxed.

— Darren Wright Let's get the sellers in jail out of jail before we go any further...

— Larry Kipp About Getting Sirius A whirlwind of creativity, Wilmington’s Jamila Mustafa continues to find new media worlds to conquer

By JulieAnne Cross, May 2021 Such an incredible cover and spread. Thank you @outandaboutmagazine.

— @Jmedia_

Join Today! www.ymcade.org Financial assistance is available.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? SEND US A MESSAGE! contact@tsnpub.com • OutAndAboutNow.com

8 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

| InWilmDE.com

START

A writer/editor’s slightly snarky and relentless crusade to eliminate grammatical gaffes from our everyday communications

Compiled from the popular column in Out & About Magazine

THE WAR ON WORDS A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to defend the English language against misuse and abuse

MEDIA WATCH • Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY sports columnist (yes, him again), referring to Astros Manager Dusty Baker and his team’s first visit to New York since the World Series cheating scandal of 2017: “ . . . he’s bracing for an atmosphere of loathe and hatred.”

Loathe is a verb; Nightengale is trying to use it as a noun here.

And if it were correct, it would be redundant. The verb means “to hate,” so we can only assume the (nonexistent) noun would mean hatred. A better choice: loathing.

• Amanda Fries in The News Journal: “. . . some of the top creditors . . . have in recent years filed suits to recuperate millions of dollars.” The word Amanda wanted was recoup, meaning to recover.

• Reader Joan Burke spotted this headline in an email from CBS: “Philadelphia Weather: Sun To Peak Through As Region Sees Cold, Windy Temperatures.” Peak refers to a high point; peek, the correct word here, means a quick look or glance.

• The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Phillies Manager Joe Girardi, speaking about Dave Dombrowski, the club’s president of Baseball Operations, thusly: “Wherever he’s went, he’s been a winner.” Girardi, a graduate of Northwestern University, should know better. It’s “wherever he’s gone.”

• Girardi is not alone. While listening to sports talk radio during the three-day NFL draft, I heard many callers and hosts second-guess the Eagles picks. Almost always they used the phrase “I would’ve went with a (defensive back, offensive lineman, receiver, etc.).” The word “gone” does not seem to be in their vocabularies.

CHANGING EXPRESSIONS — AGAIN As noted in last month’s column, people confuse, conflate, and generally mangle common expressions. Below are some that I came across since then. (Be prepared, this may become a regular feature.)

• A reader reports an email containing this: “Whoa is me.” Whoa indeed. The correct term is “woe is me.”

• From Facebook (which constantly commits grammatical atrocities): “Aren’t they one in the same?” That’s “one and the same.”

• While editing a book recently I came across the phrase “hair’s

Word of the Month

otiose Pronounced odie-ose, it’s an adjective meaning serving no practical purpose or result.

By Bob Yearick

breath.” I’ve also seen “hare’s breath” (still wrong, but it makes more sense). The correct term is hair’s breadth.

• Nydia Han, reporter and anchor for 6abc WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, writing in The Inquirer: “I immediately felt a pit in my stomach.”

The pit in this expression is an undefined area in one’s stomach, not an actual pit that one feels. The expression is usually “I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

• And finally, reader Barry Townsend gives us a new take on the expression “putting your best foot forward”: “I was thinking when I got up this morning that I can only put my better foot forward. I have a good foot, a better foot, but no best foot.” True. When two items, people, things (or feet) are involved, the comparative — better — should be used. When referring to three or more items, use the superlative — best.

DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCIES DEPT. On NBC’s Sunday Morning with Willie Geist, a correspondent reported that “a deer went through the front windshield of a school bus.” I believe a vehicle has only one windshield, and it’s always in front.

ODDITY When I give my talk about grammar, I almost always get questions I’ve never heard before. This was the case recently when I was asked the difference between out loud and aloud. Having never considered this, I did some research. Here’s what I found: According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, out loud first came onto the scene in 1821 as a colloquialism for aloud. This means it is considerably younger than aloud, which has a recorded date all the way back to 1374. Both function as adverbs and are generally used interchangeably, but there can be a difference.

Aloud means to say something audibly so people can clearly hear you. It contrasts to a whisper that cannot be heard.

Out loud means to say something loud enough to be heard. It is perhaps the preferred word choice to indicate a sudden outburst.

Follow me on Twitter: @thewaronwords

NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION? Contact me for a fun presentation on grammar: ryearick@comcast.net.

Buy The War on Words book at the Hockessin Book Shelf (hockessinbookshelf.com) or call me at 302-482-3737.

START Things worth knowing

VIRTUAL GARDEN CONTEST — TAKE TWO

T

INDIVIDUALS DEFINITELY WORTH RECOGNIZING

O

ut & About Magazine is pleased to see that three individuals profiled in our Worth Recognizing column, authored by Adriana Camacho-Church, recently received 2021 Jefferson Awards for Delaware. Last month, Jeremy Moore, Christian Miller and Markevis Gideon were honored with a Jefferson Award, which recognizes those who perform extraordinary work in their local communities. Past Jefferson Awards winners who were also profiled in O&A’s Worth Recognizing column include Megan Chen, Aman Singh and Maggie Boyd.

Congratulations to all the Jefferson Award winners. For more on the Awards, visit Delaware.MultiplyingGood.org.

DOWNTOWN MARKET RETURNS THIS MONTH

he Delaware Center for Horticulture, in partnership with Gateway Garden Center, will be taking submissions through Aug. 2 for its second Virtual Garden Contest. Individuals, families and businesses are encouraged to enter for a chance to win. The contest categories are Flower Garden, Vegetable Garden and Houseplants. Details at TheDCH.org/ virtualgardencontest.

T

he Downtown Wilmington Farmers Market returns to Rodney Square on June 2 and will operate every Wednesday (rain or shine) through Oct. 27 from 10am to 2pm. Produced by Downtown Visions, the Farmers Market offers an array of fresh local produce, plants, herbs and cut flowers as well as arts and crafts, jewelry and home-baked goods. Interested vendors should visit DowntownWilmingtonDE. com/initiatives.

WEEKEND AT BERTHA’S

A

CELEBRATING YORKLYN

A

celebration of the 150-year-old hamlet known as Yorklyn is set for Sunday, June 6 from noon-4pm. There is no admission charge to the event though select activities will have a fee. Activities include an antique auto and train ride, artisan’s market, interpretative dancers, food trucks and live music. Participating venues include Auburn Heights Estate, Center for the Creative Arts, Dew Point Brewery, Garrison’s Cyclery and the Yorklyn Bridge Trail. Visit YorklynDay.org.

three-day music festival featuring three Grammy Award winners and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is set for August 6-8 at Firebase Lloyd in Townsend, Del. Weekend at Bertha’s lineup will include Hall of Famer and Grammy Award-winning pianist Tom Constanten (formerly Grateful Dead) performing in the band Live Dead 69/71 as well as Grammy winners Tony Trischka and Andy Falco performing in the Tony Trischka Band. Other acts include Molly Hatchet, Indro Roy-Chowdury, Zeke Sky and Mark Diomede.

The festival offers daily and weekend camping options. Early-bird tickets are $65 for weekend campout passes and $35$40 for day-only. Visit EventBrite.com/ weekend-at-berthas.

DELAWARE RESTAURANT JOB MATCH PROGRAM

T

he Delaware Restaurant Association has created a job matching program in which those looking for a job in the industry can complete a short questionnaire and then be connected with restaurants looking for help.

Visit DelawareRestaurant.org/jobs-search for the questionnaire and a list of openings.

Contact Training@DelawareRestaurant.org for questions about the Job Match program.

AAUW BOOK SALE IS A MUST FOR COLLECTORS AND BARGAIN-HUNTERS

T

he 52nd annual book sale organized by the Wilmington Branch of the American Association of University Women has a new location, but the same wide selection of wellpreserved books and related items. The fundraiser, which has supported scholarships for Delaware women since 1969, runs June 11-13 at the Brandywine Town Center (3300 Brandywine Parkway, Wilm.). The sale features tens of thousands of books,

plus audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, sheet music, vinyl records, puzzles and ephemera. The books are organized in more than 50 categories. Most items are $1 to $5, with collectibles up to $100 plus. Hours are June 11 and 12 (10am-7pm) and June 13 (10-5).

Preferred entry is $10 from 10am-noon on June 11. All books are half price on June 13. Visit Wilmington-de.aauw.net/book sale.

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 11

Things worth knowing

HOWARD, ST. GEORGES WIN PRO START GROW GRANTS

T

he Delaware Restaurant Association Educational Foundation recently announced that two Delaware high school culinary arts programs are among only 27 high schools nationwide to receive a ProStart grant from the Rachel Ray Foundation. Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington and St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown each will receive $5,000 through the RRF ProStart Grow Grants for demonstrating how their ProStart program educates high school students interested in exploring restaurant and food service jobs and careers.

More than $135,000 in grants were awarded national to help high schools improve their existing ProStart programs.

Howard and St. Georges combine for 170 students in grades 10-12 who are pursuing culinary arts certifications.

Along with its two other high school culinary arts programs at Hodgson Vo-Tech in Glasgow and Delcastle Technical High School in Newport, the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District serves nearly 350 culinary arts students across all four of its high schools. More than 90% of their students pass the ServSafe Manager Certification Examinations, an industry-recognized credential. Visit DelawareRestaurant.org.

KALMAR NYCKEL AT WILMINGTON RIVERFRONT

T

he Tall Ship of Delaware returns to the Wilmington Riverfront with dockside tales by the Kalmar Nyckel captains and mates on July 4, 11, 18 and 25 from noon to 4pm.

The free community event offers social-distanced outdoor fun and a chance to learn about the ship from the people who sail it (with several talks per hour). The ship will be docked on the Riverwalk at 550 Justison (adjacent to the Delaware Children’s Museum).

Ship appearances are weather dependent; visit KalmarNyckel.org for rain dates.

Cigarette butts can end up in storm

of cigarette filters

are

drains after the rain which pile up,

comprised of cellulose

stream into waterways and harm

acetate, a type of plastic

marine life.

TTE E R A G I C BUTTS ARE !

LITTER

which does not decompose in the environment

D is p o s e O f C ig a r e t t e Butts In T h e P r o p er Recepta c

Sm

nons and oker

alike

elp can h

sing and u rece

ptac

ay ashtr Dela

12 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

sta by in

cigar

ette

ers

lling

butt

rta nd po les a

n s. Co

ware

more

www.KeepDelawareBeautiful.com

smok

Beau

inf

ble

Keep tact tiful

for

tion orma

les

Approximately

32%

of all litter collected are cigarette butts

START

WORTH RECOGNIZING Community Members Who Go Above & Beyond

CFERD TO THE RESCUE Karen Speake & Company save horses in distress while teaching others why they are worth saving

By Adriana Camacho-Church

W

hen Nicolas was a year old, he was so emaciated he couldn’t walk.

He didn’t have the muscle or strength to get himself up. “He had no meat between his back legs,” says Karen Speake, founder and president of Changing Fates Equine Rescue of Delaware (CFERD). “A couple of times we thought he was dead.”

After several months of vitamins, shots, special food, vet visits, and lots of love and care, Nicolas stood up. “Every day, every couple of hours we’d go out there to pick him up to try to get him to stand up,” says Speake.

Nicholas was one of 17 horses rescued in 2018 by CFERD from a farm in Hebron, Md. More than two dozen horses were found dead and nearly a hundred others were living in deplorable conditions.

CFERD has rescued more than 200 horses since its inception in 2005. Four women currently run the nonprofit, located in Laurel. They rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome abused and unwanted equines. Horses not suitable for adoption due to age or health live at the rescue until they pass on.

“All but 16 (of the 200) have been adopted,” says Robin Weinkam, who helps run the rescue. “Once a horse reaches their late teens and early twenties, people are less likely to adopt them even though they are still rideable.”

CFERD’s horses come from racetracks, riding academies, farms, and private owners. “We have also gotten some from the kill pens at auctions,” says Weinkam. These equines are sold to slaughterhouses outside of the U.S. Horses adopted from CFERD can’t be sold, traded in or given away. If for any reason the adopter can no longer care for the horse, they must return it.

It costs CFERD $3,400 a year to care for one horse. The 34-acre farm has room for about 30 horses.

“Sometimes we are limited by funding,” says Weinkam.

“We are careful to not overcommit and become a rescue that needs rescuing.”

CFERD relies on grants, sponsors, donations, and fundraisers. Since 2005, it has raised more than $771,000.

Carol Popleas, Karen Speake, Robin Weinkam and Donna Kirsch. In background is Sissy, one of CFERD'ss remaining horses from its 2018 rescue in Hebron, Md.

In January, Speake, Weinkam, Donna Kirsch and Carol Popleas were recognized for their efforts with a Governor’s Volunteer Award.

Speake started the rescue in her backyard. She knew there was a need for a horse rescue in Delmarva after having worked at a local animal rescue. People also started showing up at her house with horses they couldn’t afford to keep.

Thanks to a grant from the Longwood Foundation and several donations, CFERD eventually purchased land on Old Cabin Road.

Speake’s love of horses comes from growing up in Anne Arundel County, Md., where some of her neighbors had horses.

To be around these magnificent creatures, she volunteered to care for them.

At age 14, she finally got her very own horse, Lady, who lived for 33 years. She was there during Speake’s teen years, when she got married, and when the kids came along.

“They become a family member; never to forget, always to love,” says Speake.

For horse lovers who can’t afford a horse or can’t get to the farm, CFERD offers two programs. The Virtual Fostering program allows sponsorship of a horse of your choice or of all the horses at the rescue starting at $25 a month. Virtually, the sponsor gets to be part of a horse’s progress while it remains at the rescue.

The Saturday Volunteer program welcomes 12 to 80-year-olds to the farm to groom and learn how to care for and train a horse.

CFERD’s adoption fees range between $400 and $1,500.

“There is nothing like walking outside and having a 1,000-pound animal come to you just to be near you,” says Weinkam. “They help melt away the stress of everyday life. They have a calming effect on people.”

— For more information visit ChangingFateEsquine.org or find them on Facebook.

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

13

LEARN

Making the Connection For Wilmington University’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, community is life

O

n any given day, Jeffrey Benson Jr. plays a number of roles, including father, husband, businessman, student, and community leader. But what keeps his phone ringing, he says, is being a "connector of people."

"I have the gift of wanting to help people, to see people in a better position than where they're at," says Benson. His efforts to help the residents of his hometown of Seaford, Delaware, have earned him Wilmington University's 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award, given annually to recognize outstanding achievements among exceptional graduates.

"Sometimes you want to do things that are bigger than yourself," Benson explains. "I'm not rich, but I have the passion to share resources. And if you're recognized for work that you're passionate about, how can you not be humbled by that?"

Making the connections between those in need and those who have the resources to help can take a lot of time—one of the most valuable resources of all—but Benson takes it all in stride.

A managing partner at Prominent Insurance Group, Benson is a two-time graduate of WilmU's College of Business with an eye on a third degree. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing in 2015 and an MBA in Organizational Leadership in 2019. Since May 2020, he's been studying toward a Doctor of Business Administration as well.

Benson's seat on the Seaford School District Board of Education and his participation in a range of statewide development initiatives, including the Vision Coalition of Delaware's leadership team and the Delaware Racial Equity and Social Justice Collaborative, represent only the surface of his service.

Every other Thursday, he takes part in mentoring local middle and high school students with lessons of leadership for young men in crisis. "When you're working with youth, you see a reflection of yourself," he says. "You remember that sometimes you just need to be pointed in the right direction."

His tutoring group, called "The Gentlemen's Club," migrated to a videoconference format last spring. The virtual sessions offer much-needed assistance to students who are struggling with remote learning.

He's also one of the organizers of Seaford Community of Hope, a relief project that helps local families raise children and helps local children overcome adversity. Developed in 2019, the organization found no shortage of needs to address in the Year of COVID. "We never stopped working," says Benson. Seaford Community of Hope lent a hand in the Seaford School District's food distribution efforts to residents throughout the year. It also offset rent payments and donated gift cards to the residents of a local low-income housing development, in addition to arranging a coronavirus testing event there.

"Jeffrey Benson is most deserving of the Distinguished Alumni Award," says Dr. Tina Barksdale, WilmU's vice president of student affairs, alumni relations and development. "His successful career, his educational achievements, and his impact in the Seaford community —especially the work he has done to help children and families in need and directly affected by the pandemic—make him a standout alum and the ideal person to be honored with this award."

WilmU works for busy, positive changemakers like Jeffrey Benson Jr. Visit wilmu.edu to see how WilmU can work for you.

Feel connected and supported.

WilmU works. Next classes start July 6!

Apply today at wilmu.edu/WilmUWorks WilmU is a registered trademark of Wilmington University. All rights reserved. © Wilmington University 2021

XX JJUNE 2021 | | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 14 UNE 2021

START

Clockwise from top left: Open Streets volunteers April Pagliassotti and Claire Hamilton work BPG Residential's free bike station. Urban Bike Project's Steve Bertoline helps Damali Thomas with her bike. Robert Price and 5-year-old grandson Saya Myatt enjoy a stroll. Volunteer Sandra Duffy provides information to passersby. Photos by Lindsay duPhily

Taking It to the Streets O pen Streets Wilmington debuted last month along six blocks of Market Street. The program closes streets to cars and transforms them into a mobile neighborhood where residents can enjoy outdoor recreation in a space that is safe and accessible to all ages and abilities.

For four hours, hundreds of residents and visitors walked, biked, dined and visited free displays manned by community groups ranging from Urban Bike Project to the YMCA. Open Streets Wilmington will continue at the Riverside neighborhood on June 19 in partnership with The Teen Warehouse and on July 17 along Union Street. Visit OpenStreetsWilmington.org.

— Out & About

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

15

Congratulations CLASS OF

#DTCCGRAD2021

CONTACT US TODAY FOR YOUR PRINTING NEEDS!

Open to the Public Full Service Print Facility • Print - Digital & Offset • Flyers, Posters & Postcards • Business Cards & Stationery • Saddle Stitch & Coil Binding • Banners • Floor & Wall Graphics • Retractable Banners • Yard Signs . . . AND MORE!

16 J UNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

222 S. Chapel St., Room 124 • 302.831.2153 universityprinting@udel.edu • sites.udel.edu/universityprinting

START

BOOK

BOUTIQUE Wilmington’s latest Little Free Library is also eye-catching art

By Bob Yearick

Located at West Street between West 13th and 14th, the tiny library was built by Glenn Kocher and painted by artist Natasha Poppe. Photos provided.

A

mong the few benefits of the pandemic has been the growth of Little Free Libraries. Started just 12 years ago in Hudson, Wis., Little Free Libraries are book-sharing boxes, located in front yards or public areas, that provide 24/7 access to books for adults and children. “[We] saw growth in the network over the last year, especially as people were looking for ways to connect and share books during social distancing and while schools and public libraries were closed,” says Margret Aldrich, director of communications for the nonprofit.

Northern New Castle County has kept pace with the national trend: at least four LFLs were created in Wilmington and Newark during the pandemic.

The latest and most eye-catching of these is the one at West Street between West 13th and 14th streets. The unique LFL is the product of the Midtown Brandywine Book Club and artist Natasha Poppe, a transplanted Minnesotan.

Poppe moved from St. Paul to Wilmington with her husband in 2019, after a 33-year career as an art teacher. While the LFLs were plentiful in St. Paul, with one on virtually every block in some neighborhoods, Poppe discovered that wasn’t the case in Wilmington. So she was delighted when a member of her book club suggested during a Zoom meeting that the club sponsor one. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

17

Bike & Hike & Brews PRESENTED BY DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY

Wednesdays, June 9 to August 25 • 5 to 8 p.m.

Stroll, jog, or bike along the Brandywine’s most beautiful mile.

Enjoy Dogfish Head craft beer and tasty selections from area food trucks.

VISIT HAGLEY.ORG/BIKE FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION “Dog Days of Summer” held on the last Wednesday of the month.

200 HAGLEY CREEK ROAD, WILMINGTON, DE 19807 • (302) 658-2400

NOT YOUR STANDARD LITTLE FREE LIBRARY continued from previous page

Poppe set to work designing an LFL that imitated the three-story homes lining the streets in her neighborhood near Wilmington Hospital. Her sketch was approved by the neighborhood association, and the project got underway in November.

A book club member’s husband, Glenn Kocher, offered his services as a woodworker. Using Poppe’s plan, he transformed an old kitchen cabinet, adding a roof and shingles, into a one-of-a-kind LFL. After he sanded and primed it, Poppe added an artistic paint job.

County Executive Matt Meyer and City Council members Michelle Harlee and James Spadola, all supporters of the mini-libraries, attended an informal dedication ceremony on May 6. The library is located next to a pocket park that opened last August, thanks to 4th District Neighborhood Planning Council funds.

LFLs are making inroads in a growing literacy crisis. Today in the United States, more than 30 million adults cannot read or write above a third-grade level. Studies have repeatedly shown that books in the hands of children have a meaningful impact on improving literacy. The more books in or near the home, the more likely a child will learn and love to read, but two out of three children living in poverty have no books to call their own.

Any individual or organization interested in sponsoring a Little Free Library can get information at the website — LittleFreeLibrary.org. No “handiness” is required; the ready-made libraries are easy to assemble, and they are priced moderately.

OUTDOOR

DINING now available!

8th & Union, Wilmington

302.652.6780

18 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

WalterSteakhouse.com

(L to R): Glenn Kocher, Michelle Harlee, Natasha Poppe, Matt Meyer, and James Spadola at the May 6 event.

MANGO COCONUT corriander

cucumber mint limeade HOUSE MADE LEMONADE

Looking to start a garden?

Here are a few suggestions.

By Leeann Wallett

20 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

? ns.

FOCUS

W

hile some people hoarded toilet paper, others stockpiled plant seeds and bulbs. With the extra time spent at home during the pandemic, people beautified their homes and green spaces as a form of retail therapy. But how do you get started? Here are some tips from local horticulturalists on how to start your own garden.

Have a Plan Vic Piatt, senior garden advisor at Mt. Cuba Center, recommends home gardeners to first think about their vision and what their garden conditions are before heading to a local garden center or nursery.

He suggests asking questions like: Do you want a lot of color in your garden? Do you want plants that attract pollinators? Is the spot you’re planting sunny or shady? Is the soil rocky? Do you want a single- or multi-season garden? These answers act as a starting point for gardeners to understand their personal preferences, and what will work within their specific growing conditions and space. ►

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 21

GROW YOUR OWN continued from previous page

Gardening and grow-your-own became a boom business for garden centers and nurseries in 2020, but it also disrupted the supply chain. Photo provided

If that’s too much to think about, take Carol Long’s approach and visit your local public garden or arboretum.

“The Brandywine Valley region has some of the best public gardens,” says Long, garden curator at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. “Make a list (and take photos) for plants to buy now or for next spring.”

Thankfully, gardening can be as easy as buying what’s in stock now and planting it, or planning ahead. Gardening comes in cycles, so use this simple seasonal guide to help plan the rest of the year: Spring - Time to plant summer-flowering bulbs, plant seeds to make seedlings for the garden or plant seeds in the ground after the last frost date (usually around mid-April/early May) or buy plants at a local plant sale in April/May; visit local public gardens or arboretum for inspiration Summer - Buy plants at local garden center; plant vegetables; visit local public gardens or arboretum for inspiration Fall - Buy plants at local garden center; plant spring-flowering bulbs; visit local public gardens or arboretum for inspiration Winter - Sign up for seed and bulb catalogs; order seeds from mail order catalogs or online

Go Native Many of the plants that the experts recommended are native to the Mid-Atlantic region. Though there are many different definitions, Piatt defines native plants as plants that “were here before European colonization in the Americas and provide support — food and shelter — for indigenous people and local fauna.”

While gardeners may think of only aesthetics when selecting plants, it’s im=portant to remember that local wildlife rely on native plants as nesting sites and food to survive. So, Piatt suggests planting a mix of plants: “Do something for you, and do something for someone else, even if it’s for an insect.”

For example, Lori Athey, habitat outreach coordinator at Delaware Nature Society, loves plants that “attract pollinators,” like purple coneflower, scarlet bee balm, and coreopsis (tickseed).

Her favorite is Joe-Pye weed, a robust, 6-to-8-foot perennial that “...in July produces tiny pink blooms and is like crack for butterflies,” she says.

22 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

When selecting plants for the garden, keep a close eye on where they are located at the local garden center.

“The placement of plants (at the garden center) will tell you their general light conditions, whether it’s a sun or shade loving plant,” Piatt says. And though “it won’t tell you the soil conditions,” he continues, gardening is all about trial and error. If a plant doesn’t work in the garden, it means you have the opportunity to try something else.

photo©Hoofprintsinc.com

Here is a list of plants our garden experts recommend for shade and sun: Shade: American Alumroot, Bellewort, Ferns, Indian Pink, Solomon Seal, Woodland Aster, Woodland Phlox Sun: Amsonia, Baptisia Blueberry Sundae, Black-eyed Susans, Gold Standard Tall Tickseed, Joe-Pye Weed, Pica Bella Coneflower, Scarlet and Jacob Cline Bee Balm, Sneezeweed, Trumpet Honeysuckle For more information about native plants listed above, visit Mt. Cuba Center’s native plant finder: mtcubacenter.org/native-plant-finder For other native plant recommendations, view Delaware Nature Society’s 2021 Native Plant Sale catalog (orders closed until next year): delawarenaturesociety.org/activities/events/native-plant-sale/

Eat Your Plants According to Axiom’s 2021 Gardening Insights Survey, “more than 80 percent of those surveyed said they felt successful or very successful in their gardening tasks in 2020,” says Kathleen Hennessy, head of Axiom’s horticulture marketing group.

At a time when homeowners were stuck at home with nothing to do but work, eat and sleep, caring for plants became a way for people to get exercise and cope with the stress at a time when the future looked stark.

And while most surveyed grew flowers, a high percentage of gardeners enjoy growing vegetables and fruit trees, and container gardening (growing all types of plants in containers).

For those new to gardening, Long recommends starting with easier to care for plants like swiss chard, different types of lettuces and herbs.

“In my garden, I have fresh herbs that I use throughout the summer including thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, marjoram and oregano,” says Long.

Other easy-to-grow edible plants include ramps or wild leeks, elderberry, and violet flowers which Athey says you can candy or coat in sugar and add to a cake or cupcake.

For those more-experienced gardeners that have more room in their garden, Athey recommends two native edible plants: Serviceberries and Paw Paw. The Serviceberry is a large tree with berries that are similar in size and shape to a blueberry but taste like a blueberry with a touch of almond.

The Paw Paw is a small tree native to the eastern United States and Canada that produces beautiful, yellowish-green fruits that taste like a cross between a banana, mango and pineapple. ►

Watch the best horses in the Mid-Atlantic Region compete every Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday* now through October 16.

First race post time 1:15pm.

See our website for the complete schedule of race days.

Always free admission and general parking.

Enjoy the Paddock-side picnic Grove next to the race track with plenty of room to spread out or a luxurious luncheon in The Terrace Restaurant, offering the best views of the races and tableside wagering.

Many other seating and dining options are available at delawarepark.com.

777 Delaware Park Blvd. | Wilmington, DE 19804 (800) 41-SLOTS | delawarepark.com *except Thursday, June 3, 10 & 17 and October 7 & 14.

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

23

KRESTON WINE & SPIRITS

Celebrating 88 Years

GOT

LOCAL? VICTORY DOGFISH RAR H E A D

Cape May Fordham & Dominion

Mispillion River Big 2SP Oyster TROEGS First State BREWING COMPANY

A Delaware Tradition Since 1933 MIDDLETOWN 448 E. Main Street Middletown, DE 19709 Tel: (302) 376-6123

WILMINGTON 904 Concord Avenue Wilmington, DE 19802 Tel: (302) 652-3792

KrestonWines.com 24 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

GROW YOUR OWN continued from previous page

Before COVID, Delaware State Parks hosted an annual PawPaw Folk Festival at the Blue Ball Barn in Alapocas Run State Park. Visitors could celebrate the native tree, listen to folk music and taste the fruit (as of May 2021, there will not be a 2021 festival).

Where to Buy Gardening and grow-your-own in 2020 became a boom for garden centers and nurseries, but with it began a massive disruption in the supply chain. For example, Brent and Becky's Bulbs from Gloucester, Va., was "so overwhelmed with business last year, they had to stop taking orders to catch up," says Long.

While most of the supply chain issues have been resolved, don’t delay in purchasing bulbs now to plant later this fall. Brent and Becky’s and other bulb suppliers will ship the bulbs to you from September 2021 to January 2022, based on your hardiness zone. According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service website, Delaware spans two different zones: 7a and 7b Below is a list of national, regional and local sources to begin your grow-your-own journey: National (mail order and online) • Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, RareSeeds.com • Breck’s, Brecks.com • Brent and Becky's Bulbs, BrentAndBeckysBulbs.com • Bushel and Berry, BushelAndBerry.com • Longfield Gardens, Longfield-Gardens.com • Seed Savers Exchange, SeedSavers.org Local and Regional Garden Centers • Black Creek Greenhouse 211 E. Black Creek Rd., East Earl, PA, facebook.com/people/ Black-Creek-Greenhouses • East Coast Garden Center 30366 Cordrey Rd., Millsboro, EastCoastGardenCenter.com • Old Country Gardens 414 Wilson Rd., Wilmington, OldCountryGardens.com • Gateway Garden Center 7277 Lancaster Pk., Hockessin, GatewayGardens.com • Homestead Gardens 5580 Dupont Pkwy, Smyrna, HomesteadGardens.com • Richardson's Garden Center Multiple locations, Hockessin, Newark, Wilmington • R-P Nurseries 656 Unionville Rd., Kennett Square, PA, RPNurseries.com • Toadshade Wildflower Farm 53 Everittstown Rd., Frenchtown, NJ, ToadShade.com • Tyler Arboretum 515 Painter Rd., Media, PA, TylerArboretum.org • Watercrest Farms 190 Woodcrest Rd., West Grove, PA, WatercrestFarmsNursery.com

Annual Plant Sales

302-571-1 4 9 2

Most events occur in late April and May

Brandywine Conservancy Annual Wildflower, Native Plant & Seed Sale 1 Hoffmans Mill Rd., Chadds Ford, Pa. brandywine.org/conservancy

Bright Spot Farms Garden Center, Spring Plant Sale 1901 N. DuPont Hwy, New Castle brightspotfarms.org

Christiana High School Agriscience Program, Annual Plant Sale 190 Salem Church Rd., Newark christinak12.org/Page/4359

Delaware Center for Horticulture Rare Plant Virtual Auction (March) 1810 N. Dupont St., Wilmington thedch.org

Delaware Nature Society Native Plant Sale 3511 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin delawarenaturesociety.org

Delaware Technical Community College Applied Agriculture Department Annual Plant Sale 21179 College Dr., Georgetown go.dtcc.edu/owenscampusfarmmarket

Join Us On Our Patio!

Make Reservations Today!

Open At 4:30pm Daily

For Dining In & Carry Out *Reservations Are Strongly Recommended, But Not Required* BOOKING PARTIES NOW!

Celebrate FATHER'S DAY & OUR LAST Brunch of the season (regular brunch will reopen after labor day)

10am-3pm

Dine-In and Take-Out packages available Call for Reservations and Pricing

want to host the best summer party?

McKean High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) Annual Plant Sale 301 McKennans Church Rd., Wilmington facebook.com/mckeanffa

University of Delaware Botanic Garden, Spring Plant Sale 531 S. College Ave., Newark udel.edu/canr

Let us take care of all your event needs ~ at your place or ours!

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

25

Gateway Garden Experts

Get it at

Gateway!

are ready to help you create beautiful gardens that are better for nature and better for your family. From flowers to fruits, we have the knowledge and selection for your success!

Gateway Garden Center | gatewaygardens.com (302) 239-2727 • 7277 Lancaster Pike Hockessin, DE

26 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

START

From l-r: Downtown Community Garden members Deb Hebbel, Renee Rose, Wendy Ho-Schnell, Mark Fields, Paige Morgan and Pat Bartoshesky. Photo by Lindsay duPhily

Growing Together Downtown residents are digging this gardening endeavor

By Ken Mammarella

W

ilmington’s Downtown Community Garden has a very down-toearth name.

It’s downtown, the northwest corner of Fourth and Orange streets, to be exact.

It’s a garden, with 22 raised beds, all rented for $25 for the season, planted mostly with vegetables, fruits and herbs, but also pretty with flowers. And it’s a community, in several ways.

“Everybody pitches in,” said Paige Morgan, who moved to Delaware in 2019 and started growing food in the garden the next year.

“Because of the pandemic, we came together as a true community garden,” said Mark Fields, who was one of the founding gardeners in 2016, when it was in the 400 block of N. Market St. “We know each other and get together” to work on the garden. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 27

GROWING TOGETHER continued from previous page

Renee Rose during a Saturday morning garden cleanup. Photo by Lindsay duPhily

And for Aleama Esdaile, the community is both her fellow gardeners and her family. She has bonded more with her son and daughter at the garden. “We need it,” she said.

“We need more.”

The Delaware Center for Horticulture supports more than 40 community gardens throughout New Castle County. The downtown garden draws people who live and work nearby.

After a fire displaced the Market Street garden, the green thumbs moved to the current location, which for a century housed Gross Lighting Center. The city obtained the property in 2018, and with the assistance of former owner Phil Gross and the Downtown Civic Association, it became a garden.

Gardeners give sweat equity. Fields said it’s also supported by a New Castle County Conservation District grant; Downtown Visions, acting as fiscal agent and “champions since the very beginning,” he said; and Harry Wolkind of neighboring Rave Realty, providing water (and renting a plot). Frames for the raised beds were upgraded this year by Eco Plastic Products of Delaware, which recycles plastics.

Esdaile, who grew in Wilmington, had never gardened before but was very curious when she was walking by. She said that she was welcomed in 2018 by the other gardeners and is now committed enough to be on the management committee. “I hold it near and dear to my heart,” she said.

She’s grown corn, watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, flowers “and a whole lot of herbs.”

“I like digging in the dirt,” Morgan said. “There’s something satisfying about planting, weeding and pruning.”

She’s grown tomatoes, peas, lettuce and herbs. “So handy to run over and grab some herbs.”

Even though she grew up in rural Washington with a large garden, Morgan has learned from the Delaware Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program how neem oil controls pests and why you shouldn’t water midday (droplets can magnify sunshine into rays that can burn the plants).

“We’re part of a growing trend of people who live in the city and still want to grow food,” Fields said.

28 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

EAT

Liz DiTeodoro and the Maiale food truck crew serve a steady stream of customers during a recent visit to Union Park Gardens.

Photo by Butch Comegys

Food Trucks 2.0 Now established, the scene sets a new course

By Pam George

I

n 2014, Wit Milburn decided to leave the family business, Ubon Thai Kitchen & Bar, and buy a food truck. The chef wanted to experiment with rice bowls and taco fusions, and Kapow gave him a chance to test the waters.

He wasn't the only one to spot the trend. In 2015, seasoned hospitality veteran Steve Ruiz revved up the Mojo Loco food truck. "It's eclectic street food," explained Ruiz, who honed his craft in Rehoboth Beach restaurants and, locally, at Eclipse.

"It was the start of the whole food truck craze in our area. We caught the wave at the right time."

So did Billy Rawstrom. That same year, he bought a truck to expand Maiale Deli & Salumeria's brand and increase off-site catering sales.

And, oh, what a long, strange trip it's been. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 29

NOW AVAILABLE!

FOOD TRUCKS 2.0 It's certainly been up and continued from previous page down," says Rawstrom. "When we first got into it, there were a lot of jobs and festivals. Before COVID, it was waning a bit."

Ruiz feels that the market became oversaturated; some owners hung up their keys. Then came the coronavirus. "Once COVID hit, food trucks were the way to go as far as serving customers," he maintains.

For one, operators don't need to worry about dining capacities and table spacing. There is a buffer between servers and the customers, who can socially distance.

But that doesn't mean the industry lacks challenges.

ALL OF YOUR FAVORITES

ARE NOW

ONLINE! Kapow's Jody Milburn provides service with a smile. Photo by Paul Patton

CURBSIDE AVAILABLE

GROCERIES: shop.janssensfinefoods.com

J’s

cafe CAFÉ: cafe.janssensfinefoods.com www.janssensfinefoods.com 3801 KENNETT PIKE, GREENVILLE, DE • 302.654.9941 30 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

On The Road Selling food from carts or street kitchens dates back to the 1600s and beyond. (In those days, many people lacked kitchens of their own.) In the 20th century, food trucks were a fixture on construction sites and big city streets.

Roy Choi took the concept to the next level in 2008 when he opened Kogi, a Korean barbecue truck in Los Angeles.

Suddenly, hot dogs and meatball sandwiches were passe. Street food was fun food. Consider Cajun-Sno, the Louisiana-style snow cone truck that Meg and Dan Hurst started in 2013. The finely shaved ice has the texture of fluffy snow, and the juices are high quality.

In Delaware, the number of food trucks soared, following a national trend. Research firm IBISWorld estimates that more than 24,000 food trucks in the U.S. are doing about $1 billion worth of business annually.

Why are they so appealing? "I'm able to work for myself," Ruiz explains. Because a food truck has lower startup costs than a restaurant, entrepreneurs can get into the business. Leigh Ann Tona created the concept I Don't Give a Fork for a University of Delaware class assignment and won $1,000 in the school's business plan competition. Her clever idea featured handheld menu items, such as the mac and cheesesteak sandwich, a roll packed with meat, onions, and macaroni and cheese.

The graduate hit the ground running and her brightly Scission and built a following. (He has since renamed the truck painted orange truck was a familiar sight at industry events to match the shop’s brand.) sponsored by Rolling Revolution, a local association co-founded by The Best — and Worst — of Both Worlds Milburn and his wife, Jody.

Tona pulled up alongside The evolution from food Zach DeLong's Scission espresso truck to restaurant is not unusual. truck, and the colleagues are now Milburn, who owns two food partners in life and business. In trucks, opened a Kapow location May, they opened Sleeping Bird in Booths Corner Farmers Market.

Coffee, a bricks-and-mortar shop (He now manages Ubon as well.) between Wilmington Brew Works Mike Stanley, whose and La Pizzeria Metro.

WiLDWiCH concept was one Tona initially planned to keep I of Delaware's first food trucks, Don’t Give a Fork. "It's a really good operated WiLDWiCH Café at gig if you have the clients and have Food trucks at the Downtown Wilmington Farmers Market have been a 800 Delaware Ave. for nearly five hit with downtown workers. O&A file photo/Joe del Tufo years. He opened a second café on been in the game for a while," she says. "I was kind of tired of it. You're either freezing on the truck King Street in Cocina Lola's old space Bricks-and-mortar, however, has a drawback — or or super-hot. You have to drive to Restaurant Depot every day because you lack storage. I just didn't want to do it anymore. I two. On King Street, Stanley counted on serving lawyers and courthouse workers. However, the lawyers flocked to wanted to do something different."

DeLong, however, is keeping his truck, which complements restaurants with higher price points, and the workers wanted the coffee shop and is parked out front. Before the partners inexpensive fare, he says. Business sputtered in summer. After opened Sleeping Bird Coffee, they served customers from six months, he closed. ►

ACCEPTABLE

Magazines, junk mail, paper bags, office paper, newspaper, etc.

Leave lids on

Remove lids and recycle separately

KEEP YOUR RECYCLING OUT OF BAGS. PLACE ITEMS LOOSE IN THE CART.

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 31

Come Check Out What’s New Downtown...

Join June 13-18 ComeusCheck Out for CityNew Restaurant Week!

What’s Downtown...

Open

Come Check Out Come Check What’sOut New Downtown...

What’s New Downtown...

FOR Dine-In Seating in Restaurant & Bar Takeout, Curbside Pickup and Delivery also available FOR Dine-In Seating in Restaurant & Bar

Open Open Open

Maiale customers in Union Park Gardens wait their turn. Neighborhood visits became commonplace and profitable for food trucks during the pandemic. Photo Butch Comegys

Takeout, Curbside Pickup FOR Dine-In Seating and Delivery FOR Dine-In Seating also available in Restaurant & Bar

A New Path

in Restaurant & Bar

Open

Takeout, Takeout, Curbside Pickup Curbside Pickup and Delivery Private Room Seats Up To 15 and Delivery also available Available also availableUpon Request

FOR Dine-In Seating in Restaurant & Bar VIEW OUR MENUVIEW OUR MENU

VIEW OUR MENUVIEW OUR MENU

VIEW OUR MENU

Private Room Seats Up To 15 Available Upon Request Taking reservations for Father’s Day

Takeout, Curbside Pickup and Delivery dorcea.com • (302) 691-7447 also available dorcea.com • (302) 691-7447 1314 Washington St • Wilm DE

Private Room Seats Up To 15 Private RoomAvailable Seats Up Upon To 15 Request Available Upon Request

VIEW OUR MENU

VIEW OUR MENU

VIEW OUR MENU

Private Room Seats Up To 15 Available Upon Request

1314 Washington St • Wilm DE

32 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

dorcea.com • (302) 691-7447 dorcea.com •1314 (302) 691-7447St • Wilm DE Washington 1314 Washington St • Wilm DE

FOOD TRUCKS 2.0 The first café was near office continued from previous page buildings full of workers. In spring 2020, that number dropped from thousands to under 100. Stanley could not offset losses with his truck. That’s because a car had slammed into the parked vehicle and totaled it. In November, Stanley closed the café.

The pandemic also affected the Hursts, who'd purchased Sweet Lucy's Ice Cream & Treats on Feb. 28, 2020. In response, they opened a window to form a makeshift drive-through.

The Hursts had never put their two trucks away — they had three but sold one to pay bills — and they gassed them up to peddle the frozen confections.

Festivals and public events were clearly off the schedule in 2020, but operators soon cruised into a new niche. "During the pandemic, neighborhoods started bringing in food trucks to feed residents, which continued," Milburn says.

Ruiz and his colleagues once joked about driving through neighborhoods like an ice cream truck and selling tacos. "But it's exactly what we turned to because we were devastated," Ruiz says. "We ran with it."

Ruiz and partner Alyssa Schubert, who have two trucks, began promoting the service on social media. The tagline: "Bringing curbside pickup to your neighborhood."

New communities on former farm fields were starving for dining options. So were neighborhoods full of young families.

For Ruiz, a single order from one family can top $120. He credits his extensive menu. "We have sides and appetizers like hushpuppies and empanadas," he says. "We have desserts and multiple types of tacos. So, they want to try them all — the authentic Cuban sandwich and short grilled cheese."

Hurst has heard fellow vendors proclaim that they will never pay event fees again, thanks to the community bookings.

But she needs more volume. Since ice cream and snow cones have a low price point, she needs 200 sales, not 20.

wwz Rawstrom is also doing private events, which is a plus considering his restaurant catering dropped 80 percent. "A lot of people are booking the truck for parties because people can get fresh, hot food and still social distance, and they won't have issues with transference from using the same buffet utensils," he says.

Meanwhile, Stanley is back where he started. Sort of. He purchased Tona's truck and is winning raves for his Burgers by WiLDWiCH, which has a spot on the corner of Concord Pike and Sharpley Road.

Stanley garners social media praise for "smash" burgers, round balls of meat pressed onto a 500-520-degree flattop to develop a meaty crust. Customers also praise his house-made sauces, including the mayonnaise. He hopes to open a bricks-and-mortar version when he finds the ideal space.

A restaurant is also on the mind of Jonathan Mitchell, who wants to put Mitch's Mo' Better Chicken on the road in June. Mitchell uses a recipe developed by his grandfather, Lucien Dillingham. The latter once owned a Chicken George franchise at 30th and Market streets in Wilmington in the 1980s and became a successful concessionaire in Atlanta.

Like Tona and DeLong, Mitchell gave his concept a trial run in front of Wilmington Brew Works. When the truck's artwork is complete, he plans to visit the brewery on weekends.

Eventually, he wants to open locations across the tri-state area.

The seasoned vets have some words of advice. "Be prepared to grind it out and network as much as you can. Put out a good product," Rawstrom says.

Speed is of the essence, Ruiz adds. It doesn't matter if you sell an upscale product; customers view a food truck as "fast food," and they won’t wait.

But it's worth it, he maintains. "We love our life."

Curbside Grocery Pick-Up Available - Call Ahead!

Quality Price Service Since 1934

NOW BOOKING GRADUATION CATERING!

YOUR BBQ HEADQUARTERS! Bachetti’s is Your Place for the Freshest Meats and the Best Marinades, Steak Sauces and Rubs!

OFFERING BOX LUNCHES AND INDIVIDUAL MEALS! Easy Grab & Go to Observe Social Distancing 302.994.4467 | 4723 Kirkwood Hwy. Midway Plaza

www.Bachettis.com

Your Brand.

Our Business.

PRINT WEB SOCIAL PHOTO VIDEO SEO

Catalyst.DESIGN JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 33

Bushel and Berry® is a collection of easy to grow and exceptionally beautiful berry plants that will revolutionize the way you bring food to the table. All of the Bushel and Berry® varieties are self-pollinating, so you only need one plant in your home garden to have delicious fruit!

www.BUSHEL and BERRY.com

34 J UNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

DRINK An artistic spin on a classic gin and tonic.

Fresh ingredients mixed with creativity are taking craft cocktails to a whole new level.

Re-Fresh

that Drink!

Homegrown ingredients infuse summer cocktail season

By Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald & Stacey Silvers

T

he farm-to-table movement has enjoyed mainstream popularity across the country for a while. Now, this phenomenon is expanding into craft cocktails (perhaps heralded in by a year homebound and the anticipation of a brighter summer).

According to the 2021 National Gardening Survey, 42% of U.S. households reported participating in food gardening (e.g., vegetable gardening, fruit tree cultivation, growing berries, or herb gardening) in 2020, a significant increase (up from 33%) from 2019.

Further, households that participated in growing berries (43%), water gardening (42%), and herb gardening (39%) in 2020 most likely plan to spend a great deal or slightly more on lawn and garden activities in 2021 than they did in 2020.

What does this mean? Home-growers, cocktail enthusiasts, and mixologists alike are embracing this hyperlocal trend, leading to a heightened appreciation for fresh elements in cocktail creation.

Here, we share some favorite Wilmington venues leading that charge, and suggestions on how you can jump on this refreshing bandwagon.

Torbert’s Big Secret? All Fresh!

Wilmington’s Torbert Street Social mixologists Victoria Reed and Brett Smith pride themselves not only on their staunch use of fresh components, but also their inventiveness. Reed — who develops Torbert’s cocktail names and recipes — says the lounge serves only fresh juices and fruits; all syrups and infusions are house-made; and servers come in two hours early just to prep ingredients.

She also says they’re very conscious about trying to stick to “no waste” practices. For example, dehydrating pineapple pieces and using the tops to garnish other items. They don’t grow anything onsite, but their purveyor of choice, Teddy Bear Fresh Produce of Easton, Md., provides all their fresh essentials. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 35

Torbert Street mixologist extraordinaire Brett Smith. Photo by Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald

36 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

RE-FRESH THAT DRINK “I mostly get inspiration [for continued from previous page drink recipes] from going to farmer’s markets,” she says. Does she have a go-to spot? Anything off the side of the road, she laughs. Reed also heads to Sprouts or Whole Foods to check out some of the exotic fruits for ideas.

“Like dragon fruit, for example,” she says. (Torbert has a selection called “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonfruit.) “That [drink] is based more on the color of the fruit more than the flavor.” The cocktail is impressive, served in a tall glass and made with Ketel One Botanical, Aperol, lemon, dragon fruit simple syrup, and club soda. It’s one of the most popular drinks on their menu, along with the Wilma!! — a Fruity Pebbles (yes, the cereal) infused rum. “That’s my favorite,” she says of the Wilma!! infusion.

Another of their super-fresh, infused creations is The Gardner’s Tonic, made with Gardner’s gin, basil, cucumber, jalapenos, cherry tomato, and tonic. “It’s like a liquid salad,” one of our crew laughed. “I feel like I’m doing something ‘super-healthy’ [by drinking this].”

Smith says gin drinks are his favorite right now. He’s recently experimented using Chartreuse, a French liqueur available in green and yellow versions. With this, he makes a drink called a Lumiere.

Although not currently on the Torbert menu, Smith’s cocktail includes Green Chartreuse, Hendricks gin, a dash of orange bitters, freshsqueezed lime juice, and Italicus, an citrusy, floral liqueur crafted with Calabrian bergamot and botanicals. The drink itself shines a luminescent green. (When he mentions it, a server at the sidebar exclaims, “Ooh, Lumiere!”…so this cocktail must be something.)

Camp Craft Cocktails at SWIGG Wine & Spirits. SWIGG now has an herb garden just outside its shop doors. Photo by Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald

Erin Noonan is owner of Magnolia Lounge, a mobile dry bar and tap truck (housed in a refurbished vintage 1960s truckster) that can be reserved for weddings or private parties.

Magnolia’s signature drink and one of the most requested for events is the Magnolia 75. It’s a blueberry basil lemonade topped with Prosecco — a twist on the classic French 75.

For Magnolia, Noonan makes simple syrups and juices at home. While she doesn’t grow her own, she says she’s very selective about ingredient quality. She likes to support local farms and growers, like Fifer Orchards, when she can.

“Going to local restaurants definitely gives me inspiration to create new recipes,” Noonan says. When she and her husband go out, they enjoy places like La Fia and Copper Dram for really good cocktails.

So, why are fresh ingredients so popular now?

“I just feel like it’s easier to control the flavor of a cocktail,” says Reed. “It does make a difference…like a Whiskey Sour made with bottled sour mix versus our fresh version. You can just tell which is which.”

Dave Govatos, owner of Swigg Wine & Spirits, agrees. “I put an herb garden in at our house, because I realized — just like when you’re cooking — you want the freshest ingredients possible. And it makes a huge difference when you’re doing cocktail construction.”

A Crow Grows in Trolley; Swigg Gets a ‘Fresh’ Addition Andrea Sikora is also a fresh ingredient devotee. Sikora, along with husband Chef Bryan Sikora, is owner of La Fia, Crow Bar, and Merchant Bar, all in Wilmington.

“We maintain an herb garden behind Crow Bar in Trolley Square — mainly mint, basil, sage, and rosemary — that we use in cocktails at Crow, Merchant, and La Fia,” says Sikora.

“We also make our own orgeat* from toasting and soaking almonds; dehydrate fresh fruit for garnishes; and soak fresh fruit in brandy for our sangria.” She also mentions they recently started making cold brew coffee for Crow Bar martinis. “… by popular demand from our Trolley neighbors.” (*Side note: Orgeat is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose water or orange flower water.) ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 37

Celebrating

85 Years!

Enjoy these daily specials

ALL MONTH LONG! s Mondays: 15% OFF Craft Beer 6-Pack $50 Tuesdays: 15% OFF Whiskeys over

ne Wednesdays: 15% OFF 750mls of Wi Thursdays: $2 OFF Growler Fills

Huge Selection Mix Your Own 6-Pack Friendly Staff

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY IS BACK! Friday, June 25, 5-8pm wilmington 522 Philadelphia pike -

uors.com 302.764.0377 - pecosliq 38 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

RE-FRESH THAT DRINK The herbs grown at Crow Bar continued from previous page feature prominently in cocktail programs of all three locations: Orgeat is used in a lot of Tiki drinks, like the Crow Bar Mai Tai. The Peach Smash (bourbon, peach preserves, fresh basil, and lemon) is popular at Crow Bar in the summer, too. The Matador at La Fia incorporates their fresh rosemary. Fresh blackberries are found in the Merchant Bar Blackberry Sour and Crow’s Superfly, the latter of which also uses sage from their garden.

From Swigg’s perspective, getting into growing fresh herbs was an extension of the customer service Govatos provides.

After he began growing herbs at home, he figured the next logical step was to grow at the shop as well.

“I said, ‘why don’t we do this at the shop?’ It makes perfect sense,” he said. “We’re cocktail-focused here, so wouldn’t it be great to offer to customers coming in to build their cocktail pantry.” Patrons are welcome to select from the garden, which is positioned right outside the shop doors.

“We started last year, putting this little cocktail garden together,” he says. “It really won’t be in its ‘normal’ state until July and we’ll be adding more to it.” The Swigg garden has included rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, basil, and mint. Last year, Govatos laughs, they had so much mint, they were giving it away in bundles.

Govatos notes the three main “sources” for herbs in cocktails: garnish, muddling, and infusions or syrup. “You can use vodka to infuse anything,” he says. “I use rosemary a great deal for Mediterranean gin & tonics; rosemary and thyme that I steep into gin; basil works really well with gin or vodka, too; and mint pretty much works with everything.”

In addition to complimentary fresh herbs (and rich selections of hard-to-find and “boutique” rums, gins, vodkas, and more), Swigg sells craft cocktail “kits” of dried herbs, fruits, and step-by-step recipes.

Craft Cocktail Creation — Not Just for Experts Happily, this trend is not reserved for only those who sell or sling our favorite concoctions. Mt. Cuba Center is offering a class where all of us “Average Joes” can learn to create at home!

“Go Native with Infused Vodkas” is offered Sunday, June 20 from 1 to 3 p.m., hosted by Diane Keesee, a mixologist and 20year hospitality and beverage expert. She will demonstrate the ease of creating uniquely flavored vodkas using native plants, although her class will use those specifically found at Mt. Cuba, like passion fruit.

Her class focuses on vodka because, as Keesee says, “It’s a neutral spirit that doesn’t add flavor to whatever you’re using.”

Some of her favorite vodka additions also include prickly pear fruit (“...just peel and use the red center for infusion”) and blackberries (“…they pair well with mint and club soda, and you don’t need sugar”).

Why does Keesee feel people are getting into more gardening and fresh cocktails? “People have had a lot more time at home (due to COVID) and weren’t going out to their favorite restaurants,” she says. “And, once you’ve finished working in your garden, a cocktail is the perfect thing to have while you’re admiring your plantings and surveying all of your hard work!”

Blackberry Infusion. Photo courtesy Mt. Cuba Center

Her advice for those venturing into the fresh cocktail realm is to maintain basic pantry staples — a favorite spirit; pineapple or watermelon, which are popular in summer; basil and mint; and club soda. Be as creative as possible, and come home with new ideas. And, as long as it’s edible, you can put it in alcohol.

You can register for Keesee’s class at mtcubacenter.org/cocktails.

For fruit-focused cocktail fans, there are some great books to discover, recommended by Keesee and Govatos like Garden to Glass: Grow Your Drinks from the Ground Up (Mike Wolf) and The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks (Amy Stewart). Govatos personally hasn’t done a lot of fruit infusions, but also recommends Drinking French (David Lebovitz), which contains a fair amount of step-by-step infusion and puree recipes.

To begin growing fruits in your home space, companies like Star® Roses and Plants, located in West Grove, Pa., are a sound place to start. Their Bushel and Berry® collection features compact, easy-to-grow, edible berry plants geared especially to the home gardener.

Their varieties can be found online and in garden centers throughout the region and include hanging baskets of strawberries and blueberries, as well as container-friendly strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes. Learn more at BushelAndBerry.com.

JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 39

NEW GIN COCKTAILS Basil-Watermelon Bliss

MARCH 20

1 ½ oz. gin ½ oz. St. Germain 1 ½ oz. freshly pressed watermelon juice 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves 2 slices of cucumber 2 wedges of lime Splash of soda In a cocktail shaker, muddle lime, basil leaves, and cucumber. Add remaining ingredients and a scoop of ice. Shake well and pour over ice, top with soda and garnish with a sprig of basil or lime wedge.

Thyme Out

1 ½ oz. of your favorite gin 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme 3 slices of lemon (2 for muddling and one for garnish) 2 to 4 oz. Tonic water Muddle thyme and lemon together in highball glass.

Add ice, gin and tonic water. Stir well and garnish with lemon wedge.

JUNE 25

BLACKBERRY INFUSIONS Infused Blackberry Vodka

R E S E R V E Y O U R S E AT S AT

PENNCINEMA.COM

Ingredients: • As many fresh blackberries as you can pick • Vodka – enough to cover the berries plus an inch or two Directions: 1. (Optional): Preheat oven to 200. Wash blackberries and place on cookie sheet. Turn off oven and bake blackberries in oven for 30 - 40 minutes. If you have a gas oven with a pilot light, place berries in oven overnight with just the heat from the pilot light 2. Add fresh or cooked blackberries to mason jars and top with vodka of choice. Tighten lid. Allow to soak for a month and shake everyday.

3. Add infused blackberry vodka to lemonades or club soda for a drink that captures the spirit of summer.

—Created by Diane Keesee, Mixologist, Mt. Cuba Center

40 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

presented by

A Downtown Newark Summer Tradition

• • • • • • • • • • •

Ali Baba Caffe Gelato Deer Park Tavern Grotto Pizza Home Grown Cafe Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Klondike Kate’s Pat’s Pizza/Barley Bar Stone Balloon Ale House Taverna Rustic Italian The Delaware Growler

Noon-7pm

SPECIAL MENUS TAILORED TO MORE THAN

40 CRAFT

BEERS!

NO ADMISSION FEE!

Saturday, July 31 •

NewarkFoodAndBrewFest.com

START

Homegrown Summer Six-Pack Kind of like farm-to-table — but with beer.

These local seasonals are worth trying.

By Jim Miller

T

he solstice arrives this month, and pairing nicely with the sweltering sun and outdoor activities of all kinds are these seasonal beers — all brewed within 100 miles of Wilmington.

Seeking fresh flavors for your summer soiree? Look no farther.

These brews pack a punch without packing calories, keeping things interesting while also keeping you on your feet. ►

CAT 5 KEY LIME LAGER (4.2%)

Fordham & Dominion — Dover, Del. Key lime has become a popular star ingredient in several beer varieties lately, and Fordham & Dominion is riding that zesty wave.

This collaboration with their sister restaurant Rams Head Southernmost holds the distinction of being the lightest beer on our list at just 4.2% abv, imparting more of an island-breeze vibe than a Category 5 feel, as the name implies.

Glacier and Perle hops help produce citrus notes that reflect one of Florida’s favorite fruits — particularly among those in the state’s farthest islands.

Yes, it’s subtle. Just don’t call it sublime.

More at FordhamAndDominion.com.

GROOVE CITY HEFEWEIZEN (5.2%) RAR — Cambridge, Md. Sure, a can of this Cambridge-brewed beer may travel farther than any of the other five on this list (a total 97 miles), but the brewery is closer to Wilmington than your neighborhood bar or liquor store is to Bethany Beach.

Crafting beer 10 barrels at a time, RAR is a modest operation that has established a fine reputation in a short time. The brewery turns eight years old this summer, and in that time, this Hefeweizen has become one of RAR’s biggest sellers year-round because of its drinkability.

More at rarBrewing.com.

SALT AND SEA SESSION SOUR (4.3%) Flying Fish – Somerdale, N.J. For fans of alliteration and little nips of fruitflavored salt-water taffy, this sour offers both, in its name and its taste, respectively.

Three varieties of malts combine with Columbus hops to produce an approachable sour that offers a delectable “change-up, shake-up” between other, perhaps heavier cocktails.

On the subject of sunny ideas, this Somerdalebased brewery boasts 463 solar panels and solar-tube warehouse lighting — just two initiatives that make it one of the most sustainable breweries in the world. Something forward-thinking to consider supporting.

More at FlyingFish.com.

SUMMER CRUSH CITRUS WHEAT BEER (5.0%) Yards — Philadelphia, Pa. Yards has taken a careful — some might say more traditional — approach to expanding its brands. When they introduced Summer Crush in 2019, it was the brewery’s first new mass-produced offering in three years, mainly because they had their eyes on another type of expansion. In 2017, Yards moved its entire operation to its current 100-barrel location in Philly’s North Liberties neighborhood.

That makes this wheat beer the first new beer to be canned and bottled in the new digs, which is pretty cool. They took their time in making sure they got it right with both the brewery and the beer.

More at YardsBrewing.com. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 43

HOMEGROWN SUMMER SIX-PACK continued from previous page

State Line Liquors

SUMMER LOVE GOLDEN ALE (5.2%) Victory — Downingtown, Pa. Locally, the brewers at Victory were ahead of the summer-seasonal curve when they created this classic in the late 2000s.

It was an instant hit at ballparks, beaches and backyard BBQs. In accordance with the trend, they recently mellowed the ale’s bitterness a bit and developed a Hazy IPA variation, which utilizes Summer Love’s recipe of marrying Pilsner malts with citrusy Simcoe and Tettnang hops.

The Golden Ale is typically available through August — unless, of course, they run out. More at VictoryBeer.com.

Family owned & operated Since 1933 — 4 Generations!

Great selection of...well... just about everything!

—Yelp Over 3,000 Different Beers Growler Bar with 35 Taps Wine, Spirits & Beer Tastings Gourmet Food & Cheeses 1610 ELKTON RD, Route 279 . ELKTON, MD • WWW.STATELINELIQUORS.COM OUTSIDE MD. (800) 446-WINE, IN MARYLAND (410) 398-3838

THE GROVE CITRUS SHANDY (4.5%) Cape May — Cape May, N.J., Cape May describes its citrus shandy as “intensely crushable” and “ridiculously refreshing.” As advertised, it hovers at just 4.5% abv while imparting deliciously dank citrus flavors and aromas.

This brewery has seen sales skyrocket in just a short time — even during the pandemic — which suggests people are being ridiculously refreshed all over the Tri-State area. Similar to The Grove, Cape May offers The Bog, which is their other tart treat: a cranberry shandy.

More at CapeMayBrewery.com.

Events & More inWilmDE.com

44 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

October Frost AI DuPont Hospital

LISTEN

L-r: Michael Melton, Steve Salevan and Andrew Ferry of Vox Cadre. Photo courtesy Vox Cadre

A Sound Idea Tatnall classmates reunite after decades; perform weekly livestream concerts as Vox Cadre

By Ken Mammarella

T

wo decades after they bonded in band, chorus and theater at Tatnall, 2004 alumni Andrew Ferry, Michael Melton and Steve Salevan are livestreaming weekly concerts and are readying their first single. As Vox Cadre, they make “synthesized music for a synthesized future.”

After years of separately writing and performing music, they jelled at a 2016 jam in San Francisco and decided to together cook up an EP. The EP features “All I Wanted” as the A-side and “All My Friends” as the B-side. “It may or may not be inspired by a television show,” Melton said on their 51st stream about “All My Friends.”

The two songs join five they have posted on voxcadre.com, plus hundreds of what they called “partially baked ideas” to pull up at a moment’s notice. “So much of music is finding the right ingredients,” Salevan said of the culinary imagery he repeated during an interview from the 3½-bedroom Manhattan apartment they share with Ferry’s wife, a cat and so much equipment that they call it “a synthesizer commune.”

Melton and Salevan share duties as lead singers, while Ferry “brings out the voice of the band” as the sound engineer, said Melton, the primary lyricist.

Their lives diverged after Tatnall. ► JUNE JUNE 2021 2021 || OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM XX 45

A SOUND IDEA continued from previous page

IRON HILL BREWERY

VARIETY PACKS NOW AVAILABLE AT A RETAILER NEAR YOU CRAFT HARD SELTZER

The artwork for the band's new EP. Courtesy of Vox Cadre

Ferry earned a degree in theater production at the University of Delaware and was a Broadway sound engineer until the pandemic shut down the industry. In May, he took advantage of his forced time off to start on a three-month cross-country bicycle tour.

“So much of this last year has been at the mercy of the virus,” Ferry said. “I wanted to do something I could control, making choices that matter.”

Melton performed in multiple bands, earned a degree in business from Temple and now works as a Citibank financial analyst.

Salevan earned a degree in computer engineering at North Carolina State University, with his musicianship growing as the local music director of the campus radio station. He’s now a software engineer at Twitter.

Music is in their genes. Ferry’s mother is a singer and theater performer. Salevan’s grandfather was a guitarist.

Melton’s father is Dennis Melton, half of the Melton Brothers, a fixture of the local music scene for almost 50 years. He’s toured with his father.

Pop-oriented covers dominate Vox Cadre’s streams, available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube.

The streams offer multiple benefits. They allow them to work out their new music, Salevan said.

They also force them to keep creating. “Dad says it’s important to have a deadline,” Melton said.

And they allow them to reach fans new and old. After each stream, Melton talked with his parents. “Such a beautiful way to stay connected,” he said.

Dennis Melton passed on in May, and Vox Cadre members chose his June 2 birthday as the date to release their first single across all music platforms.

46 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

In Defense of…Larry Graham

By Jim Miller

I

once had the pleasure of meeting bass giant Larry Graham backstage during an outdoor music festival in the mid-90s. As a big fan of Sly and the Family Stone, a band that took the James Brown version of funk and gave it a semi-psychedelic spin, it was a dream come true.

But in one unexpected, fractured fragment of time, it was dream that would nearly turn nightmarish.

Picture it: meeting one of your musical heroes and being shocked to find that same legend treating you like you were the superstar.

Envision watching from a backstage, behind-the-scenes viewpoint as your hero’s band performs in front of thousands of eager fans at a popular outdoor venue.

Now, imagine the confusion and instant dread you feel when the venue’s crew suddenly and inexplicably shuts off the power to the stage halfway into the band’s last song of the night — leaving every audience member and the musicians themselves in stunned silence.

No sound. No lights. No music.

Cutting through the din of confused murmurs, you hear the scream of the venue’s head crewman, his hand still on the lever to one of the power boxes beyond the other side of the stage.

“YOU’RE DONE!” All of this happened the night I met Larry Graham. And what took place onstage in the uncertain moments that followed would forever redefine my perception of what music is and can be.

But, before I go any further, let’s go back to where it started….

Ahead of Graham’s days with Sly and the Family Stone and long before Graham became the leader of his own band, Graham Central Station.

In the early ‘60s, as a lean-and-lanky teenager, Graham learned to play music with his family at church in Beaumont, Texas. He grew into a gifted multi-instrumentalist who could play guitar, sing, and operate the bass pedals of the church organ all at the same time.

The adage that necessity is the mother of invention proved true when Graham’s mother fired the drummer in her gospel trio.

Musically, Graham filled the void by learning to mimic the drum tones on an electric bass: “slapping” the strings with this thumb to mimic the kick drum and “popping” them with this index finger for a snare effect.

Graham would call his manner of playing “thumpin’ and pluckin’;” in the music world it became known as the “slap-bass technique.” It was an innovation that would revolutionize musical genres of funk, jazz, and disco — as did his primally hypnotic bassline for the Sly and the Family Stone’s No. 1 hit, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).”

“That [technique] became a huge template for every bass player to start using,” said Average White Band bassist Alan Gorrie in a 2014 BBC documentary called The Story of Funk.

Indeed, Graham’s “Thank You” bassline would become so synonymous with the concept of funk music, it would be sampled 20 years later on the title track of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, an album that would go on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Graham’s technique no doubt helped define the sound of Sly of the Family Stone.

“We all had our own musical backgrounds and experiences that we were allowed to contribute to the band,” said Graham in The Story of Funk. “So everybody brought something to the table.”

That melting-pot spirit of collaboration may have contributed to the band’s significance and notoriety — they were our country’s first truly integrated band, in color, culture and sexual orientation — but that fact didn’t prevent friction and strife from wreaking havoc.

The summer of 1969 would see the band playing at its best, and the fall would usher in the elements that would inevitably lead to its downfall.

Recent years have seen an overdue show of appreciation for the band’s performances during that summer. On Record Store Day in 2019, Epic/Legacy released a double-vinyl set of the band’s performance at Woodstock. ► JUNE 2021

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

47

Since

1981

302.656.4438

303 W 8th St., Wilmington, DE 19801

FREE

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION Simply email us at Contact@tsnpub.com or go to:

OutAndAboutNow.com s Food Truck se Cour Set New

ing Fresh Think tails Cock for Craft

In Defense am Grah of Larry

Scene Area Arts Forward Springs

'Weed' Is LegalizingIdea?

A Good

Getting

Sirius

a Mustafa n’s Jamil Wilmingto find new media to continues conquer worlds to is starting Everyone Here's how a garden. crowd. the join you can

ing Seven WinnTips Tailgating

Poetry cs & Politi

to the Catering Craze ie Charcuter

Comes Deschutes are to Delaw

S a yese!

Che

nology, new tech the Utilizing ue brings Junior Leag to your home Tour Kitchen

Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm • Sunday 12-5pm JUNE 2021

COMPL

IMENT

ARY

MAY 2021

COMPL

IMENT

APRIL 2021

ARY

4025 Kennett Pike, Wilmington Delaware 19807 COMPL

48 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

IMENT

ARY

IN DEFENSE OF...

With supernaturallycontinued from previous page charged renditions of songs like “Everyday People,” “You Can Make It If You Try,” and “I Want To Take You Higher,” it is a document of pure joy and positivity.

Unbeknownst to me (at least until this year), Sly and the Family Stone played another “Woodstock” just two months earlier that summer. On June Bass Friends: Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins (left) with 29, the band performed at Larry Graham at the 2011 NAMM show in Los Angeles.. Photo courtesy of the Harlem Cultural Festival, LarryGraham.com an event that has been called “Black Woodstock.” Over the course of six Sundays, more than 300,000 predominantly Black music fans attended the shows.

Friday, July 2, marks the wide-release of the Sundance-winning Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), the directorial debut of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, which resurrects long-lost concert footage from that Harlem Cultural Festival within an historical framework of race, culture and justice.

It’s worth pointing out that Sly and the Family Stone was the only band to play both festivals — that they had as much appeal with acid-induced space cadets looking to expand their minds as they did with soul-fueled revelers seeking to expand their rights.

Although there were certainly struggles, race would not play a prominent role in the demise of Sly and the Family Stone. Instead, it would be demons of drug abuse. When the band moved to Los Angeles that fall, they fell into loads of cocaine.

While the next few albums inspired great players like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to rethink their approach to jazz, with On the Corner and Head Hunters, respectively, Stone could hardly hold himself together, let alone his band.

Stone stopped writing songs and started missing shows. The band became a revolving door. In 1972, following a backstage brawl, Graham was out for good and started Graham Central Station.

Which bring me back to the incident I witnessed stage-left more than 20 years later in Philadelphia. An angry stage-crew boss had brought the lights down on Graham Central Station during their encore, “Thank You,” because, as he would scream later: the band went over their due time to stop (by mere seconds).

He wouldn’t wait a minute.

Now, I can’t say for sure it was a racially motivated incident — the stage crew was entirely White; the performers and audience member predominantly Black — but I can say it certainly felt that way at the time. At the very least, it was a dangerous appearance. And it wasn’t long before bewilderment became anger amongst the crowd.

Seeing the dismayed and distressed faces in the crowd before him, Graham did what he knew best: make music. He gracefully sprung into action, rushing back to his percussionist. With a quick command they were both tossing tambourines, maracas and shakers to the other band members.

Without any electrical amplification, they all sang out, purely acapella, the final refrains to the song again and again: “I want to thank you for lettin’ me be myself again!”

It was, at once, peaceful and rebellious. And the audience came alive in a spirit that I don’t think I’ve ever seen since at a live concert.

The band was jumping up and down, approaching the very edge of the stage. People got up from out of their seats in the back and started dancing in the aisles. People on the lawn were waving blankets in the air.

There was nothing the crew boss could do. A minute earlier he’d shouted,” YOU’RE DONE!” Graham, however, was far from done. They finished the song. And Graham would go on to work with Prince a few years later, and, in the decades that followed, tour the world several times over — as recently as 2018.

His final words that night: “Thank you, Philly, be well. We love you! Be good to one another!”

WIN A $50 GIFT CARD TO PIZZA BY ELIZABETHS!

Fill in the You know the drill: (1) Ask your friends to help “fill in the blanks” for the missing words needed below.

(2) Once completed, read aloud and watch hilarity ensue.

(3) Got a funny one? Take a photo and send it to us at Contact@TSNPub.com. Best one wins a $50 Gift Card to Pizza By Elizabeths (One entry per person; must be 21 or older to enter). Have fun!

Gardening Tips from the Pros Looking to grow more flowers and vegetables in your backyard this year? Here are some really great suggestions from our experts!

We asked (

female friend

) the head gardener at the (

“What’s the best time of the year to plant (

) Grand Gardens in (

adjective

)?”

type of food

She responded, “Oh, that’s definitely an area favorite. The best time of year is ( when the (

noun

) is nice and (

adjective

). Here’s a secret: You can plant (

around the same time. You’ll just want to add plenty of ( Another question we get a lot is: “What kinds of ( (

type of liquid

plural noun

plural noun

“Our customers love (

plural noun

they look absolutely (

adjective

plural foods

),

)

) to the soil.”

) require the least amount of

male friend

) manager of (

color

) Farms in (

), written by (

to turn any everyday (

noun

local place

).

), and they are really easy to maintain year-round. Plus ) in the autumn when they (

verb

) magnificently.”

Both of our experts suggest reading the book, The Gardening Guide for ( plural noun

month of year

) during the summer?”

“That’s a great question,” says (

(

):

local place

friend's first name

)(

)

). It a best seller that promises

type of bird

) into a prize-winning (

adjective

noun

)!

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

49

THE CITY JOHN LOONEY REPLACES MICHAEL DONOHUE AS WILM. FIRE

O

n May 13, Mayor Purzycki named Battalion Chief John Looney as the 14th Chief of Fire in Wilmington’s history. Chief Looney replaces Michael Donohue, who retired as Chief of Fire — a position he held since January 2017 — after a distinguished 37-year career (1983-2021). Looney is a 28-year veteran firefighter who joined the WFD in 1993. For years he was assigned to the Heavy Rescue Co. Rescue 1. He later served in the Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) and was also a Captain of various engine companies before being named Battalion Chief of Safety and Training in 2014. Chief Looney also commanded the last four fire recruit academies.

The Mayor also recognized outgoing Chief Donohue, himself the son of a former Wilmington Fire Chief. “Chief Donohue is finishing a remarkable and distinguished career of service to the people of Wilmington and we owe him much thanks and appreciation,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Michael Donohue has been a decorated member of our fire department for decades and I’m grateful for his commitment to the goals of my Administration over the past four years, which include transforming the department, making it stronger, more efficient, and more diverse. Chief Donohue was successful on all fronts and we wish him well in retirement.”

2021 CLIFFORD BROWN JAZZ AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

M

ayor Mike Purzycki and Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz congratulate the winners of the 2021 Clifford Brown Jazz Awards, presented at Cityfest, Inc.’s inaugural Clifford Brown International Jazz Day Concert on Friday, April 30. This year’s awardee for the Clifford Brown Top Jazz Presenter Award was the True Blue Jazz Festival; of the Clifford Brown Advocacy, Volunteerism, & Philanthropy in Jazz Award was Hortense Priest (bestowed posthumously); for the Clifford Brown Young & Swingin’ Award was Maya Belardo; and for the Clifford Brown Legacy Award was Tony “Big Cat” Smith. The awards ceremony and concert, held virtually and in person at the Delaware Theater Co., featured performances by trumpeter Terell Stafford and the Clifford Brown Festival Band led by Gerald Chavis as part of the City’s International Jazz Day Festivities. Director

50 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

Betz also announced the City is planning to bring the 34th Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival back to Rodney Square on Aug. 4-8, 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions continue to loosen, though that is subject to change given State public health mandates.

Terell Stafford performs at DTC on April 30.

Maya Belardo receives her award from Tina Betz.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

“I ALSO CONGRATULATE DIRECTOR MEGAN MCGLINCHEY AND HER REMARKABLE TEAM FOR THEIR VISION AND DEDICATION IN MOVING THE RIVERFRONT FORWARD INTO THE NEXT QUARTER-CENTURY. -MAYOR MIKE PURZYCKI

”

Mayor Purzycki joins the staff of Constituent Services for Community Clean-Up Day, May 15.

Chief of Fire John Looney

Chief of Fire Michael Donohue (retired)

Mayor Purzycki joins sisters Thameenah and Adiyuh Davis and Council Member Zanthia Oliver to cut the ribbon on The Produce Spot in Northeast Wilmington in May.

WILM. POLICE BODY-WORN CAMERA PROGRAM UNDERWAY

M

ayor Mike Purzycki and Police Chief Robert Tracy say continued progress toward accountability and transparency in City policing and community engagement continues with implementation of a Body-Worn Camera program for the Wilm. Police Dept. after the program’s policy — shaped by national best practices adopted by law enforcement agencies across the country — was approved by the City’s Administrative Board in April. Full implementation of the program is expected by the first week of June, with every member of the WPD being assigned a body camera.

“Policing in Wilmington continues to evolve and becomes enhanced when the City Administration and Council, the police department, and the community move forward together to improve public safety and increase community engagement,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Body worn cameras are welcomed and needed, and I applaud the Chief and his staff for embracing this technology and adding it to the array of innovative policing strategies that have come to define this outstanding department. I also extend my thanks and appreciation to City Council for their long-standing support of the body-worn camera concept, and for approving needed personnel and grant funding for the program.”

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

The new body-worn camera on the uniform of a Wilm. Police officer.

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

51

SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY! During this difficult time, there are numerous options on the Riverfront to get out, enjoy nature, and dine from some of your favorite restaurants!

The Riverfront is a perfect venue to enjoy the outdoors and walk our 1.75 mile Riverwalk along the beautiful Christina River! Additionally, the DuPont Environmental Education Center is now open to the public. DEEC’s nature trails, including the eight-mile Jack A. Markell Trail continues to be fully operational! Get out and enjoy some quality time in nature!

RIV

E R WA L K

MINI G LF

52 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

The Riverfront Market

OPEN

MON-FRI: 9AM-6PM SAT: 9AM-4PM

Stop in and enjoy fresh produce, salads, sandwiches, coffee, pizza, sushi, Mexican,Thai cuisine and much more!

Dine-in or carry out!

DINING OPTIONS RIVERFRONT RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN

for in-house indoor and outdoor dining Banks Seafood Kitchen & Raw Bar Big Fish Grill Ciro Food & Drink Cosi Del Pez Docklands Drop Squad Kitchen Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Riverfront Bakery River Rock Kitchen Starbucks The Juice Joint Timothy’s on the Riverfront Ubon Thai

NOW OPEN at the Riverfront Market!

Pachamama Peruvian Rotisserie Serena’s Soulfood

JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

53

Reopening June 18th!

Visit our website for Summer hours, pricing, and safety protocols!

DelawareChildrensMuseum.org /Delawarechildrensmuseum

54 JUNE 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

/DEchildrensmuseum

Official Beer of Cit y Re staurant Week ( U N - O f f icial Be e r of SUM M E R)