Out & About Magazine May 2016 by Out & About Magazine

Also In This Issue Grand Prix Weekend May 13-15 The Greening of Wilmington Our Town Series: Middletown

MAY 2016 CO M P L I M E N TA R Y VOL. 29 | NO. 3

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76 APRIL 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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E X P E R I E N C E

2015-16 Single Tickets Now On Sale TheGrandWilmington.org

Eric Mintel LIVE IS ALWAYS Plays TV

BETTER!

Eric Mintel Plays TV

Junior Brown

SAT | MAY 14 | 8PM | $26

FRI | MAY 20 | 8PM | $30

Jazzed-up versions of classic TV theme songs Jazzed-up versions of classic TV theme songs performed by the celebrated pianist and his band performed by the celebrated pianist and his band

Rock ‘n’ roll with a country soul by an American original

The Hit Men:

Hotel California:

FRI | MAY 20 | 8PM | $30-$37

FRI | JUNE 3 | 8PM | $28-$34

Authentic rock and rollers performing favorites

Acclaimed tribute band takes audience “down a dark desert highway”

Former Stars of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

A Salute to the Eagles

TheGrandWilmington.org | 302.652.5577 | 800.37.GRAND | 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

THEGRAND

All tickets subject to box office service charges. Artists, dates, times and programs are subject to change. THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY GRANTS FROM THE DELAWARE DIVISION OF THE ARTS. A STATE AGENCY DEDICATED TO NURTURING AND SUPPORTING THE ARTS IN DELAWARE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

Arden Concert Gild, The Green Willow, Brandywine Friends of Oldtime Music, African American Community Advisory Council, and the Latino Community Advisory Council are valued partners for many performances in the 2015-16 season.

BRAND NEW!

Download The Grand On The Go mobile app and buy tickets, watch videos, and more!

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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2 INSIDE 2

15 71

our staff Publisher Gerald duPhily • jduphily@tsnpub.com Director of Publications Jim Hunter Miller • jmiller@tsnpub.com Contributing Editor Bob Yearick • ryearick@comcast.net Associate Editor Krista Connor • kconnor@tsnpub.com Director of Digital Media & Distribution Marie Graham Poot • mgraham@tsnpub.com

what’s inside START

EAT

7 The War on Words 9 F.Y.I. 10 By the Numbers 13 Worth Trying 15 Game of Thrones in Del. 17 Greening of Wilmington 23 Wilmington Grand Prix

51 Big Fish in Small Wonder 55 Our Salsa Taste Test 59 Bites

Contributing Designer Ryan Alexander, Catalyst Visuals, LLC

LEARN

LISTEN

8 Who Let The Dogs In?

Contributing Writers Mark Fields, Pam George, Paula Goulden, Rob Kalesse, Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Robert Lhulier, Karl Malgiero, Allan McKinley, John Murray, Larry Nagengast, Scott Pruden, Eric Ruth, Matt Sullivan

FOCUS

66 Tuned In 69 Musikarmageddon 10th

Creative Director & Production Manager Matthew Loeb, Catalyst Visuals, LLC. matt@catvis.biz Graphic Designer Tyler Mitchell, Catalyst Visuals, LLC. tyler@catvis.biz

Contributing Photographers Dennis Dischler, Joe del Tufo, Tim Hawk, Les Kipp, Anthony Santoro, Matt Urban Special Projects Sarah Green, John Holton, David Hallberg

DRINK 61 Mexican Beer Movement 65 Sips

PLAY

27 Analog-a-Go-Go Festival 71 Wilmington Watering Holes 31 Musikarmageddon Solo 32 Boom Times in Middletown

WILMINGTON 41 Art on the Town 45 Theatre N 46 On the Riverfront

WATCH

77 The Jungle Book Review

FEATURES 17 The Greening of Wilmington Urban farming is sprouting all over the city, and fresh produce isn’t the only way in which citizens are benefitting. By Karl Malgiero

23 Wilmington Grand Prix Held May 13-15, one of the premier criterium-style bike races in the U.S. will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

27 Dogfish Celebrates Indie Craft Analog-a-Go-Go Festival will bring national acts, including Built to Spill, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Ra Ra Riot, international craft breweries and artisan food vendors to Bellevue State Park on Sept. 17. By Krista Connor

On the cover: Design by Tim Parrott/ Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

32 Boom Times in Middletown Its population has already tripled in this century, with no signs of slowing down. By Larry Nagengast

Editorial & advertising info: 302.655.6483 • Fax 302.654.0569 Website: outandaboutnow.com Email: contact@tsnpub.com MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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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 O&A contributor Larry Nagengast spotted this in The News Journal (correction in parens): “It was windy enough that the American flags at Rehoboth Beach were pretty much blowing perpendicular to the flag polls (poles).” Larry opines that maybe the ol’ TNJ was caught up in election year fever. A reader reports that in an interview, WNBA star Elena Delle Donne said, “Serena Williams plays less sets than Novak Djokovic . . .” Technical foul on Elena, whose English teachers at Ursuline must be tch-tch-ing in disappointment. When speaking of plurals, use fewer. I’m pretty sure that, on the radio commercial for Cameras, Etc., the name is pronounced “Cameras Ek-cetera.” It’s Et-cetera, of course. Common mistake. And Word Warrior Walt Delgiorno, ever alert to Golf Channel faux pax (yes, singular and plural are spelled the same, but the former is pronounced pah, while the latter is pahz) caught commentator Brandel Chamblee referring to “hole-in-ones.” As Walt correctly noted, it’s holes-in-one. In an expression, the primary word is the one that becomes plural. You would think a golf expert, of all people, would know that. A subhead from The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Host of reasons militate against successful prosecution of congressman.” That’s mitigate. This Got Our Goat Another reader heard Nancy Bell, on WDEL’s “Garden Clinic,” refer to plants that “give up the goat.” Co-host Frank Gregory tried to tell her the phrase is “give up the ghost,” but she was having none of it. Googling “give up the goat” will lead you to a website listing a few “sayings gone wrong.” Interestingly, the first one is “try and do it,” which has been covered in “War” more than once. The correct phrase is “try to do it.” You can either try, or you can do it, but you can’t do both. You wouldn’t say “attempt (a synonym for try) and do it,” would you? Delaware Senator Chris Coons should take note. In April, he said his staff was handling questions about tax returns, and they would “try and get those questions answered.”

Follow me on Twitter: @thewaronwords

Word of the Month

apostasy Pronounced a·pos·ta·sy, it’s a noun meaning renunciation of a religious faith or abandonment of a previous loyalty; defection.

By Bob Yearick

Department of Redundancies Dept. After spotting this in a News Journal story—“. . . vastly different companies share at least two things in common”—a reader notes: “‘Share’ is enough.” Literally of the Month One day last month WDEL led its news report with a story claiming “you literally can’t outrun the law in Boston.” Why? Because the chief of police there is a long-distance runner (We’re guessing it was a slow news day). Goodness, the chief must be exhausted from literally running down all those criminals. Eureka! Oh, Wait A friend called the other day, breathless with having discovered what he thought was a major gaffe by The Wall Street Journal. “A headline says candidates are homing in on the issues,” he exclaimed. “It’s honed in!” My friend, alas and of course, was wrong, and the WSJ was right. I had to ruin his “eureka!” moment by telling him that you home in on a problem, an issue, etc. (Think of a homing device on a bomb.) You hone (sharpen) your skills, the blade on your lawn mower, a knife, etc. From the Campaign Trail Politics aside, because he’s not one of my favorite people (or aliens), Ted Cruz gets grudging kudos for this statement: “I could not care less about Donald Trump,” thus making him perhaps the only presidential candidate (and one of the few people on earth) who gets the expression right. The Donald, on the other hand, must stand in the corner with Elena Delle Donne for saying that Cruz has “less delegates” than he does.

NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Contact me for a fun power point presentation on grammar.

Seen a good (bad) one lately? Send your candidates to ryearick@comcast.net

Quotation of the Month "Jargon at its worst is partly a product of unfinished education, and if we have more of it today, one reason is that we have more half-educated people in a position to afflict the public with their words — and, as often as not, a wish to hide something." — Dwight Bolinger, Language: The Loaded Weapon (1980)

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LEARN

WHO LET THE DOGS IN? F

or U.S. service members stationed overseas, home is very far away. But sometimes, in those places full of sand or jungle, they find living, breathing bits of home, standing right next to them . . . on four paws. Whether it’s dogs or cats, Wilmington University student and U.S. Army veteran Christine Dewson loves both. She volunteers for the nonprofit Puppy Rescue Mission, rescuing former feral dogs and cats taken in by U.S. service members from places like Bosnia, Romania, Afghanistan, Chad and Uganda, and reuniting them with their soldiers or other adopters in the U.S. Such animals, once domesticated, have small survival chances in their home countries, she says. Dewson knows what it means to be in such places. She served in the Army from 2008 to 2014 in South Korea, Germany and Afghanistan. Today, she studies organizational management in the hope that she may one day start her own rescue. Her volunteer duties include driving the rescued animals to stateside destinations on arrival or flying to countries to escort them home—a task with its own dangers where Americans are not welcome. “I’m just a veteran with a passion for animals helping current soldiers,” Dewson says, noting she owns three dogs herself, including one from Afghanistan and one from Bosnia. She adds that her greatest reward is taking the rescued animal to the service member, or sometimes, that person’s family, “because I just brought them a piece of their loved one’s life.” —Janice Colvin Wilmington University student and U.S. Army veteran Christine Dewson.

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F.Y.I. Things worth knowing

WORK OUT FOR CHARITY

Y MICHAELLA MOORE NAMED YOUTH OF THE YEAR

M FLOWER MARKET ADDS EVENING EVENT

he 96th annual Wilmington Flower Market, set for May 5-7 in Wilmington’s Rockford Park, will kick things off with the inaugural WFM Rocks the Park on Wednesday, May 4 (5-8 p.m.). Activities include a Battle of the Bands, Ferris wheel, food, beer and wine. The Wilmington Flower Market, founded in 1921 by Mrs. A. Felix Du Pont to benefit Delaware children, has become one of the longest-running service organizations in the state. For more information visit wilmingtonflowermarket.org.

BIRTHDAY BASH AT AUBURN HEIGHTS

he Marshall Steam Museum will celebrate the 100th birthday of its Rauch & Lang Electric Car and the Stanley Touring Model 725 during a family event Sunday, June 5 (12:30-4:30 p.m.). The Marshall Steam Museum (3000 Creek Rd., Yorklyn) features the world’s largest operating collection of Stanley steam cars plus a 1930s working Lionel electric train display. Guests for the Birthday Bash can sign the giant birthday card, enjoy a photo-op with the two birthday cars, make their own vintage-inspired license plates, and more. Tours of the Marshall Mansion, which dates to 1897, also will be available. Visit AuburnHeights.org.

ichaella Moore, of Newark, has been named the 2016 Delaware Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. Moore, a senior in high school and member of the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club since the age of 6, was selected from a field of 30,000 outstanding youth. The Youth of the Year title is bestowed upon a young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to a healthy lifestyle. Moore will serve as an ambassador for all teens in Delaware, will receive a $5,000 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and will go on to compete in the regional Youth of the Year, ultimately vying for the national title. For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit bgclubs.org/YOY.

NEW LIFE FOR NVF SITE

fter years of environmental cleanup work, the former site of the NVF plant in Yorklyn is coming back to life. In April, Gov. Jack Markell and Delaware officials provided a progress report on a project that will see 119 acres of former NVF property reclaimed for public use. Combined with nearby existing state park lands, the state now has more than 400 acres protected in the historic Red Clay Creek area. Approximately 90 percent of that land will be open space and include a six-mile trail for walking, biking, jogging and horseback riding. Projects being considered for the portion of the property targeted for development include an amphitheater, restaurant, equestrian center and townhome community. On April 21, Rail Explorers began offering Railbike rides (pedal-powered bikes) along the tracks used by Wilmington & Western Railroad. A microbrewery, Dew Point Brewery, located on property adjacent to the NVF site, is slated to open this spring. For more visit yorklyn.org.

ou can turn physical activities into charitable contributions by participating in Motivate the First State. In a public-private partnership coordinated by the Governor’s Council on Health Promotion and Disease, Delawareans can register online for free and build up kudos for activities such as cycling, running, walking or even mowing the lawn. Those kudos will translate into monetary contributions to three Delaware charities: YMCA of Delaware, Special Olympics Delaware or Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. For more information or to register, visit motivatethefirststate.com.

POETS HIT THE JACKSON INN

econd Saturday Poets regular Bert Moniz, who loves to write poetry on postcards, is presenting another cabaret at the Jackson Inn on Sunday, May 1, from 5-7 p.m. The cabaret will feature poetry readings by Second Saturday contributors Dallas Gantt and Jeffrey Little; a song, “Murdertown,” written by Abby Millager, and a hip-hop finale by the poets laureate of Delaware, the Twin Poets. Regular Second Saturday Poets on May 14, from 5-7 p.m, will feature Billie Travalini and one other poet. Open mic readings will follow.

DSO FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON

he Delaware Symphony Orchestra will present the final concert of its 2015-2016 season Classics Series on Friday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m., in Copeland Hall of the Grand Opera House in downtown Wilmington. Music Director David Amado will conduct the program titled “The Bells of May,” featuring young violinist Bella Hristova. Tickets are $60 each, plus a $6 box office service charge. Tickets for students, 21 and under with ID, are $10, plus a $2 box office service charge. Call The Grand Opera House Box Office, 652-5577, or go online at ticketsatthegrand.org. MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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1,300 15-20 The percentage of the world’s food that comes from city-grown vegetables and fruits.

The number of community gardens in Detroit (compared to 700 in New York City).

250 The number of pounds of food produced a year with a single community garden of nine raised beds and 10 round planters.

Percentage of Americans, according to a 2012 study, who had gardened within the past year.

10 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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! 2 2 Y A M H G U TENDED THRO

“COMIC GOLD” - New York Post

London, 1879. The prestigious Explorers Club is in crisis: their acting president wants to admit a woman, and their bartender is terrible.

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12 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Worth Trying Suggestions from our staff and contributors

OMG Nachos

A Home Garden

Despite my initial hesitation about having to say Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen’s “OMG Nachos” while ordering, they’re the best I’ve had on Main Street in Newark. A massive serving of house-made chips piled high with melted cheese and housemade salsa, jalapeño and guacamole, the nachos are great for sharing… and even better for hoarding as leftovers. Additional options are toppings of chicken, brisket or pulled pork, although the appetizer/meal is very filling on its own.

Behold! The seeds have officially been planted! Every year the garden at our home gets larger, and every year I try to harvest something new. It's not only fun for the kids to participate, but it's also one of my favorite hobbies. What's more rewarding than growing healthy foods the whole family can enjoy? —Matt Loeb, Creative Director/Production Manager

—Krista Connor, Associate Editor

The Seafood Salad at Pizza by Elizabeths The menu item I crave at Pizza by Elizabeths isn’t pizza or even the infamous tomato soup (although those things are also delicious); it’s the seafood salad: field greens, shrimp, crab, chopped tomatoes, artichoke hearts and bacon with creamy Dijon dressing. It’s not something I’d typically order. I’m not even a huge fan of shrimp. Don’t substitute the dressing—I promise you’ll be happy. —Marie Graham Poot, Director of Digital Media

Dogfish Head Squall IPA It’s neither as exotic nor as sexy as most of the other experimentally far-out brews that Dogfish concocts regularly from its Miltonbased brewery-cum-laboratory, but the Squall is extraordinary in its own right. And it’s back! Essentially an unfiltered and naturallycarbonated variation of Dogfish's classic 90 Minute IPA, the Squall was originally released in 2009, then in wider release the following year to rave reviews. Soon enough it was gone. Everywhere. I have one bottle that I’ve been saving for a special occasion since 2011, but was elated to be able to add more to the collection. If you’re a fan of bottle-condition beers, citrusy hops paired with sweet malts, and double-IPAs in general, then the Squall is a storm you will be more than pleased to experience. —Jim Miller, Director of Publications

Have something you think is worth trying? Send an email to Jim with your suggestion to jmiller@tsnpub.com

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OUR AMERICA THE LATINO PRESENCE IN AMERICAN ART THROUGH MAY 29, 2016 Discover the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-20th century. Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support for the exhibition has been provided by Altria Group, the Honorable Aida M. Alvarez; Judah Best, The James F. Dicke Family Endowment, Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins, Tania and Tom Evans, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, The Michael A. and the Honorable Marilyn Logsdon Mennello Endowment, Henry R. Muñoz III, Wells Fargo and Zions Bank. Additional significant support was provided by The Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Support for “Treasures to Go,” the museum’s traveling exhibition program, comes from The C.F. Foundation, Atlanta. | This exhibition is made possible in Delaware by the Johannes R. and Betty P. Krahmer American Art Exhibition Fund and M&T Bank. Additional support is provided by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. | Image: The Dominican York, from the series Island of Many Gods, 2006. Scherezade García. Acrylic, charcoal, ink and sequins on paper. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Museum purchase made possible by the R.P.Whitty Company and the Cooperating Committee on Architecture. © 2006, Scherezade García.

2301 Kentmere Parkway | Wilmington, DE 19806 302.571.9590 | delart.org

14 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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A GLINT OF GAME OF THRONES IN WILMINGTON

From her studio on Scott Street, Olga Ganoudis designs HBO-commissioned collections and duplicates of jewelry pieces seen on the award-winning show

hroughout the five years that HBO’s Game of Thrones, winner of 26 Emmy Awards, has been on air, Wilmington resident Olga Ganoudis has been designing jewelry collections and the infamous dragon egg products – duplicates of the items seen on the show – for HBO’s website and others. (The show, based on the best-selling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin, kicked off its sixth season April 24.) An internationally renowned designer, Ganoudis, who has managed to keep a low profile at her studio, Olga Ganoudis Jewelry, at 1313 Scott St. in Wilmington, first gained attention with ABC’s Emmy-winning Lost, which ran from 2004-2010. Inspired by the show’s enigmatic symbols and unusual numerology, she designed the “native” necklaces, statement pieces with big stones and metallic and beaded accents, available on the show’s website. In 2010, one year before Game of Thrones premiered, GoT’s NYC-based product developer contacted Ganoudis and told her that her designs would fit the newly-developing series. Thrilled, Ganoudis promptly researched the book series. She was eager to start anew after Lost. A jewelry piece that became popular almost instantly was a necklace inspired by the dragon eggs that character Daenerys Targaryen received as a wedding present in Season One. The

necklace has a long chain with a dragon egg on the end. Replicas are available in many colors for purchase on HBO’s website. The eggs sparked inspiration for a line of pieces by Ganoudis, which includes rings, paperweights, wine stoppers, and a display box. She also made a series of rings and necklaces that represent different Game Of Thrones noble families. A more recent item created by Ganoudis is the replica of the “dark necklace,” first seen at the end of Season Four and worn by the character Sansa Stark. The piece, with a circular pendant, is available on hbo.com. “I’m always thinking of new stuff, but it takes time,” says Ganoudis. “I don’t know how long it will take to get from idea to product. These opportunities took me completely out of my comfort zone. It’s a constant learning experience, and it has been a great ride.” She has never met anyone from the show—except the dragons. “They were in New York City at a show,” she says. “Oh, and I have sat on the Iron Throne as well.” Ganoudis' handcrafted jewelry is sold at her shop and on her website olgaganoudis.com, while GoT items are available at hbo.com, diamondcomics.com, entertainmentearth.com, and more. —O&A

▲The gold dragon egg necklace and dragon egg paperweights in a display box designed by Ganoudis. Photos courtesy of Olga Ganoudis MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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THE GREENING OF WILMINGTON Christian Willauer pauses during her gardening work at Tilton Park community garden. She is the director of Community and Economic Development with the Cornerstone West Community Development Corporation. Photo Tim Hawk

Urban farming is sprouting all over the city, and fresh produce isn’t the only way in which citizens are benefitting By Karl Malgiero

hanks to several large organizations and a growing number of resourceful residents, urban gardening and agriculture in Wilmington is becoming a fruitful endeavor. What’s more, the movement can be transformative for the entire community. “Urban farms have been a proven factor in bringing the crime rate down,” says Mayor Dennis Williams, who values the opportunity the gardens bring to city youth. “You have young people who want to grow food, it keeps their time occupied. And you have adults that are helping them in the neighborhood. And then there’s relationships being built between the young folks, the middle aged folks and the baby boomers.” According to Ann Mattingly, director of programs for the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH), a seminal moment for community gardening occurred on March 20, 2009. That’s when Michelle Obama, who had no previous gardening experience, planted perhaps the largest garden in the history of First Ladies. “When she planted the garden on the White House lawn, our phones started ringing off the hook,” says Mattingly. “And this has been traditional with community gardens throughout history: they wax and they wane. Hopefully, they’re here to stay.”

The Players

Scratch the surface of agriculture in Wilmington and you’ll soon uncover the Urban Farm and Food Coalition, a result of the grassroots efforts of government, community, non-profits and local farming interests. In 2009, the coalition created the city’s first official urban farm in the area at 12th and Brandywine in the 11th Street Bridge neighborhood. It is the quintessential community garden—a paragon of sustainability and community interaction, the perfect merging of capitalist and socialist ideals where kids are side by side with volunteers tending an endless variety of produce that is brought to market, on premises, weekday mornings before noon. Adrienne Spencer stewards the farm for the DCH. As the manager, she sees to the planning of the farm’s needs. She downplays her work, insisting on the more important role of the community. “Last year 90 percent of my assistance came from volunteers,” she says. “This year we don’t have a bonafide assistant farmer, but I have a number of very devoted volunteers.” At a moment’s notice, Spencer can call on about a half dozen people for help, but it’s primarily the community that is responsible for maintaining the beds and planters. ► MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Rodney Reservoir

While the 12th and Brandywine garden’s age makes it arguably the most notable, it is not the city’s largest community garden. That distinction belongs to the Cool Springs neighborhood, where two years after 12th and Brandywine’s debut, the Rodney Reservoir Garden came into existence, at the corner of 10th and Clayton streets on vacant land owned by the Department of Public Works. In 2013, Rodney Reservoir Garden organizers teamed with Bright Spot Ventures, a product of West End Neighborhood House and Barclays US, to provide job training to youth aging out of the foster care system. Two dozen additional beds followed, two-thirds of which were intended for the Bright Spot Youth to cultivate, harvest and bring to the Thursday pop-up farmers’ market at the foot of the reservoir. Now, with more than 5,000 square feet of planting space for 50-plus families, the garden stands as a foundation for community building efforts on the city’s West Side. AY

THE GREENING OF WILMINGTON continued from previous page

Then the produce—green beans being the most popular (“I could sell green beans every day all day,” Spencer says) — is sold or donated to people who come to the garden market.

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Bright Spot Farm

Bright Spot Ventures hasn’t so much spun off from its role with West End and Rodney Reservoir as it has fully embraced it. Through a partnership with the state Department of Health and Social Services, Bright Spot now has a half acre of land and a greenhouse where it starts plants for 15 other community gardens in the city. The group also has a refrigerated box truck that can transform easily into a market with stalls—a mobile market that can rapidly deploy to any area in need of produce. They also have an on-site refrigeration unit that sits just yards away from the growing area, ensuring that the freshest produce possible can make it to the city’s markets. Ally Schonfeld, Bright Spot farm manager and education supervisor for Ventures, is leading a team of kids who are partly responsible for the starter plants, and the greenhouse is fast running out of room. Schonfeld says she is constantly on the lookout for the “light bulb” moment of understanding after her kids are immersed in their horticulture lessons, learning where food comes from and how it grows. “It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like it to happen, but it’s as if the world has opened up to that person,” she says. One of those people, Kea Mathis, had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. And while she may not exactly want to follow her time at Bright Spot with a horticulture and ag career, she feels she has a future filled with possibilities instead of roadblocks. “You come here,” she says, “you get the work experience, you get certified for things and you can take that somewhere else to get a better job.” “Our focus is teaching [the youth] job skills through agriculture,” says Mike McCafferty, Bright Spot Ventures founder and program manager. The kids go through nearly nine months of soft-skill and industry training approved by industry experts. They perform a variety of agriculture work throughout the season to grow plants, then take the produce to a number of markets in and just outside of the city. Two-month paid internships with business partners follow. These can result in offers of employment in the nursery industry and elsewhere. “I got kids that want to be hair stylists or work at Foot Locker, but if you asked me what we teach best, it’s a work ethic,” says McCafferty. “If you want to learn how to work, you learn that on a farm.” Across Wilmington—from Southbridge to North East—more farms are popping up every year. DCH and the Urban Farm and Food Coalition have helped many of them get started. Examples include a children’s garden in Hedgeville and one on the West Side, and a handful of traditional gardens around West Center City, East Side and North East neighborhoods. But just as many are grassroots efforts of other organizations.

Northeast Community Garden WWW.JANSSENSMARKET.COM 3801 KENNETT PIKE, GREENVILLE, DE 302.654.9941

In the Northeast—designated a food desert by the USDA, where a third of the children live below the federal poverty level—a garden was started by non-profit community group Conscious Connections. In 2012, the director, Matthew Williams, led the mission to remediate vacant land identified as a brownfield by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources. Today, the garden is home to a swath of beds.

18 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo Tim Hawk

HyeJohn Chung picking tomatoes last July at the Tilton Park community garden.

Through urban greening initiatives, the site is a launching pad of civic action for residents and an educational tool for at-risk kids in the area through a partnership with Delaware State University's Co-op Extension team, which works with the youths over the summer. And a growing number of residents in the city are getting in on the gardening trend, taking advantage of what limited yard space they have, utilizing boxes, planters and rooftop space to grow plants—and even keep bees. Cool Springs resident Rob Pfeiffer has been harvesting his rooftop hives’ honey for three years, to the enjoyment of his friends and neighbors around Tilton Park and beyond. “I get some honey from the hive, which I use, give away and I sell a small amount of it,” Pfeiffer says. “Selling it doesn’t nearly pay for the hives, so it’s definitely not a money-driven venture in an urban environment. I started doing it with the interest of bringing pollinators into the city. It’s satisfying to see them in the community garden and in the park across the street.” While not every home gardener has a hive, small collections of tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and other easily grown and maintained crops are becoming a regular sight across the city, and there are plenty of rewards.

Urban Gardening Benefits

Sociologists examining cities around the world have found that pride in a community nurturing urban agriculture can lead to improved social well-being, community mobilization and health benefits linked to lower rates of crime and violence. According to several studies, the social interaction and increased physical activity of maintenance leads to healthier nutrition and an appreciation of food quality. Many farms and gardens reach out to marginalized youths— teaching them the basics as they help tend to the never-ending work needed to grow fruits and vegetables. While some kids will always slip through the cracks, such interventions can provide much-needed direction. As a growing number of vacant lots metamorphose into smallscale farms, promoting proper nutrition and civic cooperation, such beautification has been shown to lead to job creation from increased entrepreneurial interest. Environmental benefits—lower carbon emissions, soil decontamination, air and noise pollution reduction—are all proven side effects. And growing produce or taking part in a community garden reduces the financial impact of having to regularly visit the supermarket or corner store. ► MAY 2016 2015 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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START THE GREENING OF WILMINGTON continued from previous page

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The city’s politicians are beginning to notice and appreciate the proliferation of urban gardens. The late Eric Robinson—a city councilman, activist and community leader—was instrumental in the founding of the 12th and Brandywine site, and the space will be renamed for him later this year. Recently, city council voted to create a land bank whose intent is to acquire blighted tax-delinquent properties and resell them in order to beautify run-down areas of the city. Once rehabilitated, a number of those areas are likely to include gardens. Mayor Williams is amenable to the notion of relaxing city rules and fees for the local gardens to market their goods—a hindrance that will prevent Bright Spot Farms from taking part in this summer’s Cool Springs Farmers Market for the first time since partnering with Rodney Reservoir garden. “I would relax the rules, but I want to make sure [sellers] don’t gouge the folks,” says the Mayor. “I know some people might get upset with that, but I have to regulate prices because a lot of these folks don’t have a lot of money and you’re trying to help them get fresh produce and eat healthy and you don’t want to price them out of the market.” Strong community interest has led a number of cities around the country to update their policies to facilitate urban agriculture. In Delaware, the Department of Agriculture has made $10,000 in microgrant money available to community and urban garden initiatives around the state. “The goals of the program support lots of grassroots efforts by all communities taking the lead themselves to provide healthy food,” says Daniel Shortridge, director of communications and marketing for the state Agriculture Department. Once the review process is complete, a handful of Wilmington applicants will be among those given $1,000 for supplies and material to start their projects to provide healthy food to communities. “The last few years have seen tremendous growth and interest in local community agriculture projects across our state,” says state Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee in a statement to the press last March. “And we want to support that even more.”

20 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Community Garden Growth If the idea of a communal project centered around growing fruits and vegetables—and in some cases, agricultural education—appeals to you, try out any of the following community gardens in northern Delaware: NEWARK COMMUNITY GARDEN 491 Stamford Dr., Fairfield Park, Newark cityofnewarkde.us Newark Parks and Recreation Department and the Community Garden Committee collaborated last year to form the Newark Community Garden. Gardeners get access to a 10-by-4-ft. plot, water, and a well-stocked tool shed for $35. RODNEY RESERVOIR GARDEN 10th & Clayton, Wilmington westsidegrows.org Delaware Public Allies and Delaware Department of Agriculture worked with residents and the city of Wilmington to form a garden on a vacant lot in October, 2010. It’s now the biggest community garden in Wilmington, with more than 6,100 square feet of growing space. Rodney Reservoir Garden teamed up with Bright Spot Ventures to create income and entrepreneurial experience for the youth aging out of foster care. Every year the garden produces hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables to be shared among Wilmington residents and sold at the Cool Springs Farmers Market. BELLEVUE STATE PARK 800 Carr Rd., Wilmington destateparks.com For more than 20 years, Bellevue State Park has offered gardening plots to the public. The 200 plots, measuring 20by-40 feet, are $35 a year. ELSMERE COMMUNITY GARDEN Linden Ave., Walling Park, Elsmere sites.google.com/a/udel.edu/elsmere-garden-society With a mission to promote and nurture the people and the environment in the town of Elsmere, Elsmere Garden Society provides a community garden for local, fresh, organically-grown food. Included in membership are garden-based activities, education, and the sharing of gardening techniques and recipes. For fees, see the website. DELAWARE CITY COMMUNITY GARDEN 250 5th Ave., Delaware City delawarecity.delaware.gov Located at the Community Center, the garden is a success thanks to the volunteers who made it happen. Created with raised beds in a communal area, space is frequently limited. Contact Town Hall (834-3660) for more information.

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MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Fri. thru Sun. May 13-15

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2. COBBLESTONE CLIMB

Cheer cyclists up challenging Monkey Hill. Bring your cowbell! (5/13 5-8pm)

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COURSE CAFES

Enjoy lunch and watch the races with a table right on the course at Cavanaugh’s, Chelsea Tavern, Ernest & Scott, DiMeo’s, La Fia, Merchant Bar and more! (5/14, noon-5pm)

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WATCH WORLD-CLASS CYCLING Ever see 100 bikes sprint thru a Downtown at 35mph? Pros racers from 13 countries and 33 states will be on hand for this nationally-ranked event (5/14 noon start)

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Choose between rides of 15, 31, or 62 miles through scenic Brandywine Valley (5/15 8am)

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Health & wellness education and games and activities in Rodney Square (5/14, noon start)

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FRI, MAY 13 5-8PM

MONKEY HILL TIME TRIAL & KICK-OFF PARTY

Live music by Special Delivery, Food Truck Convoy & Craft Beer Garden in Brandywine Park while pro and amateur cyclists tackle the climb at Monkey Hill. Bring your cowbell!

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DOGFISH CELEBRATES ALL THINGS INDIE CRAFT Analog-a-Go-Go Festival will bring national acts, including Built to Spill, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Ra Ra Riot, international craft breweries and artisan food vendors to Bellevue State Park on Sept. 17 By Krista Connor

hen Sam Calagione opened Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in the mid-‘90s, the brewpub became known for its three-part harmony: original beer, original music and original food. To celebrate the three, six years ago a festival, Analoga-Go-Go, was born and has been held annually at Dogfish’s Milton brewery ever since. The festival, referencing vintage recording methods that Calagione says parallel his company’s authentic craft beer concept, traces back to Dogfish’s roots of originality, risk and community mindset.

This year, the festival is undergoing major changes “in celebration of all things indie craft,” Calagione says. The biggest change is venue—from downstate to Bellevue State Park just outside Wilmington—to accommodate a lineup and crowds expected to be bigger than ever. This year’s event, on Saturday, Sept. 17, will feature live music, a cask beer festival featuring 10-15 breweries, a craft spirit garden, a marketplace, and local and regional food. The usual crowd of about 1,000 is anticipated to jump to 8,00010,000 craft drink and music fans. ► MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DOGFISH CELEBRATES ALL THINGS INDIE CRAFT continued from previous page

The band lineup includes headliners Built to Spill, along with Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Talib Kweli, Ra Ra Riot, Beach Slang, and Fiancé, bringing to Bellevue indie rock, New Orleans-style jazz, hip-hop, punk and experimental pop representative of the “off-centered” Dogfish brand. Says Dogfish VP of Marketing Neal Stewart: “This is the biggest undertaking that Dogfish has ever done. We are going out on a limb to go an hour-and-a-half north to bring in national acts—it’s a big endeavor, but we're really excited about it.” The day will kick off with Newark’s own Fiancé, followed by Philadelphia punk mainstay Beach Slang. Ra Ra Riot will deliver their danceable indie rock synths and catchy lyrics, and Brooklyn native and hip hop artist Talib Kweli will appear with his band. Formed in the early ‘60s, Preservation Hall Jazz Band will feature a rotating cast of musicians. Built to Spill, from Boise, Idaho, an indie rock band known for heavy, catchy guitar hooks and powerhouse performances will close out the day. The upbeat music will make great accompaniment for a day of walking around the park and “chilling out,” says Stewart. “Nothing makes me happier than listening to music and drinking beer, and this festival is about bringing these worlds together,” adds Calagione. Elsewhere on the grounds, the Super Friends Cask Beer Festival hosted in the Craft Beer Barn will offer guests 10 cask-conditioned samplings—unfiltered and unpasteurized beer—from some of Dogfish’s friends in the craft brewing business. Limited edition beers will be pouring from Sierra Nevada, Allagash, Stoudts, Funky Buddha, Boston Beer, Iron Hill, Beavertown, Burley Oak, Short’s, and of course, Dogfish. Some of these beers, like the Oakland Park, Fla., Funky Buddha —currently one of the most exciting breweries in the country, says Stewart— and London’s Beavertown brews aren’t otherwise available in Delaware. “For the beer geeks, you’ll experience something you can’t get anywhere else in the Mid-Atlantic,” Stewart says. Proceeds from beer sales go directly to the nonprofit Bellevue, which is home to more than 328 acres of preserved land.

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In addition to music and brews, the festival will have a Distillery Garden on the Bellevue Mansion lawn that will treat guests to six scratch-made cocktails from Dogfish Distilling Co. Dogfish’s spirits undergo a grain-to-glass production method, meaning each batch is crafted from scratch to deliver incredible flavor. Only 500 tickets are available for this. And it’s not a festival without food trucks and a market to explore. The Culinary Trailer Park will feature more than 10 food trucks with a variety of options to festival-goers. The Artisan and Record Market will offer wares from more than 25 artists and vendors from more than 10 states. Vinyl vendors will sell new and rare LPs, while a bazaar will showcase art, crafts, apparel, jewelry, vintage goods, barware, music accessories and more. Stewart says he has “high hopes” that northern Delaware and surrounding areas will embrace the event this year. If so, the festival could certainly expand. “Could this be a two-day festival in a few years? Sure. Three days? Could be,” Stewart says. The shift north for Dogfish is one way to “spread the love” across the state, and move closer to Dogfish fans in northern Delaware, Stewart says. A northern Delaware event also provides better proximity to Philadelphia, D.C., Baltimore and New York City, notes Calagione. Drawing non-Delawareans to the area is integral to Calagione’s Dogfish vision. He wants to attract out-of-towners, and not just to the Milton brewery, Rehoboth’s Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats and Lewes’ full-service beer hotel, Dogfish Inn. “We want people to hang out in our towns and see how beautiful Delaware is,” he says. “So the opportunity to move Analog north is related to that cause. As a strong craft brand recognized for our passion for beer and music through the MidAtlantic, a northern Delaware event is great.” And to Calagione, Analog-a-Go-Go is a meaningful symbol of Dogfish’s journey. “Opening a small brewery in the mid-‘90s nowhere near a big city was a big risk, building a concept around food was a risk, and including original music during a time of cover bands was a risk,” says Calagione. “But it was amazingly rewarding to us—Delawareans got the off-centered mission and threepronged obsession of originality from the beginning.” After all, when Calagione established the Dogfish brand two decades ago, the craft industry—from food to music to beer—looked nothing like it does today. Back then, Calagione can recall only one decent record store in Rehoboth; good vinyl was hard to come by, he says, and the same can be said about the beer of the time—there were about a third as many craft breweries in the country as there are today. For inspiration, Calagione looked to the structure of the indie music industry to influence the evolution of the Dogfish brand. By doing so, Calagione says Dogfish Head flourished in the same way that DIY-bands formed pre-Internet networks and communities across America: the artists, making their way on cross-country tours, relied on supporters for a bed to sleep in, recorded their own albums and hand-crafted merchandise like t-shirts and posters. Likewise, community-driven Dogfish Head has networked within the grassroots-to-booming craft beer world from the ‘90s to now. “Good karma comes from focusing on collaboration,” says Calagione. “And cask-conditioned beer is the same analog form of beer that vinyl is to music.” Tickets, starting at $65 for general admission with upgrade options including access to the Craft Beer Barn and Distillery Garden, are on sale now. Pricing will go up $10 each month. For more information visit analogagogo.com.

OPEN MONDAY — SATURDAY 11 UNTIL 8, SUNDAY 12 UNTIL 6 54 EAST MAIN STREET, REAR - NEWARK, DELAWARE 19711 (302) 368-7738 - RAINBOW-ONLINE.COM

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo Ryan Alexander

E V I L

usic nthly m o m f o A series : TED BY N E S E R P

Robert Tomlinson

JULY 21: The Nomad 905 N. Orange St. Wilmington Summer Closing Party

LS PBR SPECIA ! L NIGHT

N O

n utA

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Competition was tough, but Robert Tomlinson’s heartfelt melodies and soulful delivery won him the victory at the second Musikarmageddon Solo competition at the baby grand theater on April 15. Tomlinson topped a field of 16 contestants, performing for a panel of five judges and an audience of 75 in four rounds of competition. In round one, 16 songwriters performed original material in a variety of styles. After the results, eight remained for round two: Tomlinson, David Wilson, Brian Turner, S Hero, Ed Dwornik, James Brant, Avi Wisnia and the duo Minerva (Kevin Henry and Peggy Carroll-Henry). Round three saw the field slimmed down to Tomlinson, Brant, Hero and Wisnia. The final bracket found Brant and Tomlinson going head to head, with Tomlinson taking the top prize by unanimous decision from the judges for his song “Fading In.” “I was crazy nervous about playing because it meant a lot to me to do something like this,” Tomlinson says. “It was a personal achievement in my life to win something of this caliber.” Tomlinson, from Willow Grove, Pa., performs regularly with his band, Post War Dream. He heard about the competition at a recent show in Wilmington. The audience vote went to Chris James, whose band, Galaxy 13, also participates in the annual Musikarmageddon band competition. More information about Tomlinson and Post War Dream can be found at postwardreamband.com. Look for the return of Musikarmageddon Solo next spring.

JUNE 11: HomeGrown Cafe 126 E. Main St. Newark featuring Tracy Chapstick

Musikarmageddon Solo wrapped up April 15 with a winner from Willow Grove, Pa.

MAY 21: ODDITY BAR 500 Greenhill Ave. Wilmington featuring Robert, Worth, Gozer & Mud Puppies

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—O&A MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Boom Times i Its population has already tripled in this century

Middletown's Mayberry-like Main Street is flanked by strip malls and big box stores.

32 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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O U R

TO W N

S E R I E S

This is the second in a series of profiles about communities throughout Delaware.

s in Middletown By Larry Nagengast Photos Joe del Tufo

ome folks think Middletown got its name because it’s roughly halfway between Wilmington and Dover. Wrong. The real story behind the name is that Middletown is about halfway between Bohemia Landing on the Chesapeake Bay and Cantwell’s Bridge, east of Odessa. Nineteenth-century farmers from Maryland’s Eastern Shore would drive their carts, laden with fruits and vegetables, to the river port, from which their produce could be shipped north to Wilmington and Philadelphia or south to ports on the East Coast. Ask a contemporary resident or shop owner about their community’s name, and they just might tell you it’s because Middletown is, figuratively and sometimes literally, right in the middle of everything. After all, what better way is there to explain how a town could more than triple its population in 13 years—from 6,290 at the turn of the century to 19,910 in 2014. And there’s no sign of the population boom slowing down. With multiple new subdivisions approved by town officials but not yet built, it’s easy to anticipate a population of 25,000 or so within 10 years, Mayor Ken Branner says. It’s a boomtown with a small town feel, a Main Street reminiscent of Mayberry flanked by strip mall shopping and big box stores, with McMansions, townhomes and apartments sprouting where peach orchards thrived more than a century ago. ►

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FOCUS BOOM TIMES IN MIDDLETOWN continued from previous page

HEALTHY STARTS HERE Patrick D'Amico, left, and Adam Cofield in their new gastropub, Metro Pub, a block north of Main Street.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here,” says Dawn Graney, a Middletown native who owns A Creative Edge, a graphics and design shop that’s been on Main Street for four years. “It’s a growing town. It’s exciting.” Patrick D’Amico feels the same way. He moved to Middletown 16 years ago, after he and his wife decided they could get more house and more land for their money than they could in Hockessin. D’Amico, a veteran chef who has worked in the Wilmington area at Harry’s Savoy Grill, Eclipse and the Hotel du Pont, recently took advantage of an opportunity to end his commuting days and bring more fine dining to Middletown. Over the winter he and his business partners, Rick Clark and Adam Cofield, opened the Metro Pub in a renovated lumber showroom in Peachtree Station, a block north of Main Street. While the gastropub has quickly become a go-to dining destination in town, D’Amico and partners have more on their plates. By the end of the summer they expect to open an Italian restaurant that he says will be “a step up from the gastropub” in the historic Middletown bank building on the square at Broad and Main. The tentative name: Cucina della Banca, which means “the kitchen of the bank.” “Many people down here tend to travel north for work. Then they come home and they have to go north again to go out for dinner,” D’Amico says. “We want to give them a good reason to stay here when they go out.” Although surrounded by growth, the venerable Main Street business district refuses to be squeezed by it. Much of it has to do with having a variety of specialty retailers downtown. "We've got a frame shop. You can't get [custom framing] at Walmart," Branner says. And, for many people, he adds, “it's easier to get a couple of screws or a box of nails at Middletown Hardware than to drive out to Lowe's or Home Depot.”

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More than that, says Nick Manerchia, executive director of Middletown Main Street, the nonprofit responsible for downtown revitalization, it’s the “collective creativity” and passion of merchants who are committed to working together. Besides such regular events as trick or treating on Main Street at Halloween and a Christmas parade, merchants organize two fashion shows a year and, on May 14, they’re sponsoring a Grapes and Grains event in the Metro Pub parking lot—all the wine and beer you can drink for $45 a person. “Our events are successful because they’re based on ideas that come from the merchants,” Manerchia says. In April, to promote a Grease singalong at the Everett Theatre, downtown’s longstanding entertainment hub, a group of retailers assembled outside the theater at lunch hour and did the hand jive to promote the event. “It was fun, and we got a couple of beeps” from passing motorists, says Elizabeth Barbato, owner of the Purple Sage boutique, a Main Street fixture for 11 years.

OCTOBER | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 34 MAY 2016 2015 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Celebrating 84 Years

KRESTON WINE & SPIRITS

Est. 1933

The Everett is the town's long-standing entertainment hub.

Barbato has some unique ideas of her own, too. She has learned that special events draw extra traffic, so she offers a free tea tasting on the first Saturday of the month—eight varieties plus a special coffee, and she brings in a tea leaf reader as well. The Everett has tried to develop a consistent menu of events to build its audience, says Chris Everett, the theater’s executive director. The first weekend of the month usually features a film as a joint fundraiser for the theater and a local nonprofit organization. For the second and third weekends, there’s a stage production— Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Junior in May and Shrek the Musical in June—and occasional special events on the fourth weekend. (A Billy Joel tribute band performed in April.) “We’re trying to make this a destination place, but it takes a while,” says Everett, who calls it “just a happy coincidence” that his surname is a perfect match for the theater. Adjacent to the Everett is its annex, where theater classes and rehearsals are held, and the “Gibby Center”—the Gilbert W. Perry Center for the Arts—which offers art exhibitions, classes and camps. “I’m glad we’re here,” Everett says. “What we do helps bring people downtown to the businesses, and what the businesses do helps make their customers more aware of the theater.” While it’s reasonable to assume that the Main Street shops would rely primarily on local residents for patronage, shop owners say their customers come from both near and far. Barbato says her tea tastings at Purple Sage regularly attract visitors from Chestertown, Md. Tammy Nichols, general manager of Half-Baked Patisserie, says she has regulars who drive from the New York metropolitan area for their cannoli and Italian cream cakes and rum cakes.

TTraffic Congestion a Plus?

Shop owners admit they can thank traffic congestion for bringing them some of those out-of-town customers. Main Street is notorious for half-hour traffic jams in the morning and midafternoon and often on weekends, and those jams worsen when travelers to and from Maryland’s Eastern Shore pass through Main Street on their way to or from Route 1 and points north and south – much as those Eastern Shore farmers passed through Middletown in the years before the C&D Canal. ►

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Est. 2003

A Delaware Tradition. 4 Generations. Family Owned. MIDDLETOWN 448 E. Main Street Middletown, DE 19709 Tel: (302) 376-6123

WILMINGTON 904 Concord Avenue Wilmington, DE 19802 Tel: (302) 652-3792 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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“I could be anywhere,” says Graney, the graphic designer at A Creative Edge, “but people stuck in traffic see the name of the business on the front of the building.” “The merchants sometimes complain about the traffic,” Branner says, “but people stop in traffic and they say, ‘There’s Purple Sage, there’s Charlie’s Barber Shop, there’s Immediato’s Bistro.’ You can look around and see what’s there, and sometimes they pull into the parking lot and stop.” The mixed blessing the congestion brings may soon become a thing of the past. Construction began early this year on the Route 301 bypass, a toll road that will stretch from the Maryland state line to Route 1 north of Middletown. The bypass, while intended primarily to get heavy trucks off Route 896 on their way to and from Interstate 95, will also reduce the number of long-distance travelers through Middletown. But the bypass will have little impact on local traffic, especially with about 3,000 more housing units approved for construction and at least 17 more retail and restaurant businesses coming to town. Most of the new construction is on Middletown’s south and west sides, where the sprawling Westown Shopping Center includes stores like Kohl’s, Michaels, Marshalls, Dress Barn, Petco and Walmart. “We’ve got Grotto pizza, Chipotle Grill, Panda Express, all kinds of commercial 5,000-to-10,000-square-foot buildings on the way,” Branner says. The Westown Movies, with 12 screens, opened in December 2013 and in February 2015 became the first movie theater in the state to receive a license to serve alcoholic beverages. The theater attracts more than 300,000 moviegoers a year, says Rick Roman, owner of Roman Theatre Management. Although it’s on the outskirts of town, the cinema respects the town’s heritage with a 65-by-17-foot mural in its lobby featuring images of Main Street, the Everett, the annual peach festival and the town logo. Its refreshment stand features “Middletown treats,” pizza and baked goods prepared by local merchants. The theater regularly opens one of its screens to local charities, showing classic films as fundraisers, with a $5 admission, Roman says.

OCTOBER | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 36 MAY 2016 2015 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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New Employers

While the massive Amazon.com distribution center dominates the west side of town, and contributes to traffic jams during its shift changes, it’s hardly Middletown’s only big—or new—employer. Johnson Controls, the auto battery maker, is working on a $55 million expansion, adding 200 jobs to its plant on North Broad Street. A Harley-Davidson showroom and restaurant is on its way and the town is negotiating with two manufacturers for new sites. In addition, the town has approved, over protests by a group of residents, construction of the Middletown Technology Center, a 228,000-square-foot data center for companies to store massive amounts of electronic information, in an industrial area called MOT Park, near the Amazon warehouse. The data center would be powered by a 52.5 megawatt natural gas cogeneration plant. Construction of the $500 million facility would take about 10 months, Branner says, but cannot start until the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issues required air quality permits. The project would create 2,000 or more short-term construction jobs, and eventually 125 fulltime jobs, at salaries ranging from $75,000 to $125,000, Branner says. Not all of Middletown’s growth is associated with big companies and national brands. The Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce has grown from 165 members to more than 500 in five years, says Roxane Ferguson, its executive director. The chamber has created a Business Incubator and Collaborative Workspace within its new building on Cass Street, and it already houses 18 businesses, which pay anywhere from $150 a month for a cubicle to $500 for a private office. (Drop-in charges are lower.)

“It has helped tremendously,” says Kevin Flanagan, who runs his eight-employee Delaware Computer Mechanics business from an office at the incubator. “The mentoring, the workshops on putting your business together, meeting potential clients . . . you don’t get that running a business out of your home, and if you’re in a store, you’re often in there by yourself,” he says. With all the growth, it can be a challenge to preserve the town’s heritage, says Don Matsen, president of the Middletown Historical Society. “It seems kind of strange that people who move into new houses come down here because it’s agricultural and it has its rural aspects, and they’re the ones who are making it impossible to see that,” he says. But he refuses to pin the blame on developers. “Middletown is extremely flat. It’s easy to build houses on flat land. Developers don’t put money in their expense accounts to preserve properties. It’s human nature,” he says. Parts of the downtown area, especially on Broad and Cass streets, have large, colorful Victorian homes dating to the 1830s and 1840s, and a few even older, Matsen says. But many others are long gone. Attendees at a recent historical society meeting compared an 1868 map of the town, which had the locations of all the homes marked, with the current streetscape. Matsen says the group went through the map with a red pencil, crossing out homes that no longer existed. “When we were finished,” he says, “the paper looked like a school teacher’s correction of a poor student’s exam. There were Xs all over.” Matsen, who lives just outside of town in a house built in the 1790s, admits that old homes aren’t for everyone. “They require continuing maintenance. It would be cheaper to live in a more modern house, but we love the history of it, and the architecture,” he says. ► 12 W. M A I N S T M I D D L E TO W N , D E 1 9 7 0 9 ( 302 ) 3 7 6 - 8 2 2 2

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The Purple Sage boutique has been a Main Street fixture since 2005.

While the peach orchards are now part of the distant past, Middletown recalls its heritage on the third Saturday in August, when the Historical Society puts on the annual Peach Festival. With a parade, 350 vendors and entertainment inside the Everett and on three outdoor stages, the event usually attracts about 30,000 people. “It seems like it’s always the hottest day of the year and we pretty much shut everything [else in town] down,” says Brian Richards, who organizes the program for the society. Then there is the Big Ball Marathon over Labor Day weekend, a 24-hour softball celebration that has been raising funds to support community organizations for nearly 20 years. Next to the Peach Festival and the Big Ball Marathon, Middletown’s bestknown special event may be the Hummers Parade, a loosely organized New Year’s Day celebration for which residents create floats and dress in costume to spoof political and cultural icons. Also on this year’s amusement schedule will be a quirky chamber of commerce-sponsored competition: teams of beanbag pitchers will square off on Oct. 8 in the State Corn Hole Championship. Events like these along with a thriving Main Street and expanding retail and employment options help explain why Middletown has become so popular. “We’re a half-hour commute into Wilmington or down to Dover, and over the bridge into New Jersey isn’t a big deal,” Ferguson says. “And look what you get here: a beautiful home, a big yard and good schools for your children.” 38 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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? Get full details for hundreds of events going on around town!

inWilmingtonDE.com

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4/22/16 3:25 PM

CITY OF WILMINGTON

On the Town

Fantasy Landscapes, Deanna Daly at Petal Pushers.

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE REFRESHMENTS

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

DOWNTOWN LOOP

WEST END LOOP

NORTH WILMINGTON LOOP

NEW CASTLE LOOP

THE WILMINGTON ART LOOP FRIDAY, MAY 6 5 - 9 p.m.

cityfestwilm.com/artloopwilmington

ALSO IN THIS SECTION: This Month at Theatre N

cityfest

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Downtown Loop

artloopwilm.org

THE WILMINGTON ART LOOP On the Town

FRIDAY, MAY 6 5 - 9 p.m. cityfest

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO THE ART LOOP. STEP 1: Select exhibitions that interest you. STEP 2: Map out your choices and select transportation. You may want to walk, drive or take the downtown DART Trolley. A limited number of seats are available on the Art Loop shuttle. Please reserve your seat by calling 302.576.2100 or email artloop@WilmingtonDE.gov.

STEP 3: Meet local and regional artists while enjoying the newest exhibitions to open in Wilmington and the surrounding areas.

STEP 4: Enjoy one of Wilmington’s excellent restaraunt or nightlife locations. Please visit the food and drink section of inwilmingtonde.com.

LaFate Gallery 227 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE arteun@aol.com www.lafategallery.com

Featuring the works of Joe Melloy, Sr. Michael T. Melloy, and Kevin Melloy, with paintings in Acrylic and mixed media. The Show is a tribute to the love of flowers by the late Bert Melloy, former head floral designer at Winterthur, and lecturer and author on floral arranging. Art Loop reception 5-8 pm. On view Tue - Thurs. 11am – 5 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am – 6 pm through May 31st.

2nd & LOMA 211 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE 302.655.0124 2ndandloma.com This show combines selected works by artist Craig Hable completed in the past 12 months. The theme of these works are capturing the spirit of artistic endeavor through shape, design and use of color. Art Loop Reception 5 – 8pm. On view Mon – Fri from 9am – 5pm through May 27th.

LOMA Coffee 239 Market Street Wilmington, DE “Study of a Human Face”, The study of a human face grants me a glimpse into the soul that animates it. Art Loop reception 5 – 8 PM. On view 6 A – 5 P through May 31st.

STEP 5: Repeat the first Friday of every month! The Delaware Contemporary 200 S. Madison Street Wilmington, DE 302.656.6466 • thedcca.org

Rolling Revolution Food Truck Fest (10+ trucks!) and $3 Dogfish Head craft beers! Also featuring an opening reception for studio artist Jennifer Borders, the 3rd Annual Creative Arts Club Exhibition of work by students from Howard High School of Technology and Delcastle Technical High School, open artists’ studios, and April/May featured store artist Rush Creek Designs. Save the date for our May 14 make{r}evolution Maker Showcase & Spring Fundraiser! Art Loop reception 5-8 PM.

Zaikka Indian Grill 209 N Market Street Wilmington, DE www.zaikka.com Jordan Delle Donne. Donne’s work has a huge graffiti influence. Within the past year he has been doing characters which are seeming to become his trademark. Jordan enjoys using bright colors, using acrylic. He states : “Art is a form of therapy for me.” Art Loop reception 5-8 PM. On view Mon – Fri 11 - 8 through May 30th. 42 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Cherne’ Altovise 316 N Market Street Wilmington, DE 302.565.7710 chernealtovise.com I Am Woman; An art exhibition showcasing the female essence through a variety of media they and Isabel Jean-Louis will be painting on the spot around a centralized theme. Art Loop Reception 5-9 PM. On view Monday thru Saturday 10 A – 6PM through May 7th. Delaware College of Art and Design 600 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE www.dcad.edu

Annual Continuing Education Exhibition, April 1- 29th, 2016, Toni & Stuart B. Young Gallery. Young Gallery DCAD’s Continuing Education Program offers courses open to the community and certificate programs. This annual exhibition spotlights the work and assignments completed through the program. Art Loop Reception 5-8 PM. On view Monday thru Friday 9 AM – 9 PM, Sat/Sun 10 AM – 4 PM through April 29th. A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

4/22/16 9:35 AM

Downtown Loop

artloopwilm.org Art Wrx 608 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE www.projectunityproductions.com ART WRX is a collaboration effort that encompasses 10 creators or all kinds showing paintings, photographs, jewelry, video projections alongside bands, DJ’s food and libations. Art loop reception 5 – 9PM.

Christina Cultural Arts Center 705 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE 302.690.8092 • ccade.org Expressions of Art Student Show, The images displayed show a variety of styles and genres in art under the direction of Milton Downing. Art theories include, Dada, Abstract Expression, Joan Miro, Paul Klee and Georgia O’Keffee. Art Loop reception 5:30 - 8 pm. On view Monday through Saturday 9 AM – 6pm through May 31st.

Wilmo Art Show, Group art show at Poppycock Tattoo featuring car, pinup and rockabilly artwork to celebrate our upcoming Wilmo a Go-Go Car Show (on May 29th), Participating Artists: Eric Hendrickson, Tina Marabito, Dave Mele, Robert M. Bickey, Wendy Mitchell, Cathleen Delia Mulrooney, Ric Frane, Mark Rosenblatt, Ken Schuler, Pat Higgins, Daniel Pollard Art Loop reception 6 – 10 PM. On view 12 – 7 PM through June 3rd.

Levitea 228 W. 9th Street Wilmington, DE 302.565.9802 leviteawilmington.com IN FULL BLOOM | a Solo Art Exhibit by SunnieWallflower. Art Loop reception 5 – 8 PM. On view 11 – 6 PM Tuesday through Saturday through May 31st.

The Grand Opera House Mainstage Gallery 818 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE www.thegrandwilmington.org/grand-galleries

Mezzanine Gallery 820 N. French Street Wilmington, DE artsdel.org

Navanjali Jagatpal Kelsey’s current work continues to celebrate and revere the vivid quality of the colors that so deeply represent her Indian roots. Delicate details, textures and an array of colors intermingle to represent the unique quality of this culture. Art Loop Reception 5-8 PM. On view Monday thru Friday, 10 AM – 5PM, weekends subject to staff availability through May 31st.

My Human and I, Yaprak Soysal, The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of photographs featuring dogs by Yaprak Soysal during the month of May. Art Loop reception 5 – 7 pm. On view Mon – Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm through May 27th.

The Grand Opera House Baby Grand Gallery 818 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE www.thegrandwilmington.org/grand-galleries

One Stop Inc. Megastore 207 W. 4th Street Wilmington, DE www.fineblackart.com

Eclectic Abstraction: Painter Yakime Akelá Brown presents a new series, the theme of which alludes to how as creatives we can be preoccupied with a particular concept, idea or notion. This exhibition includes sculptural, textural, and colorful works of abstract art. Art Loop Reception 5-8 PM. On view Monday thru Friday, 10 AM – 5PM, weekends subject to staff availability through May 31st.

“It’s BIGGER Than Hip Hop”, D. Marque Hall. Transformative effect of Hip Hop and Rap on communities throughout this nation and the entire world displayed in D. Marque’s transformative and surreal artwork. Art Loop reception 6:30 – 8:30 PM. On view 10 A – 7P through May 28th.

Artist Ave Station 617 N. Shipley Street Wilmington, DE www.thecreativevisionfactoy.org

The 3rd Place 1139 W. 7th Street (entrance on Harrison St) Wilmington, DE 717.578.3478 3rdplacewilm.org

Creative Vision Factory Showcase: Creative Vision Factory will unveil an exterior mosaic project, as well as variety of media, including their jewelry line, Factory Designs. Money generated from sales compensate the artist and fund a series of workshops to be held at the Creative Vision Factory. Art Loop reception 6-9pm. Monday through Friday 10 AM – 5 PM through May 30th. A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

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Poppycock Tattoo 115 W. 8th Street Wilmington, DE poppycocktattoo.com

Ecstatic Territories, Michele Kishita Michele Kishita’s landscapes are focused on the correlations between the wood grain of her panels and the water that created it, delineating the fluid resonances inherent in these seemingly disparate elements. Art Loop Reception 5 - 9 PM. On view Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8-12 noon, Saturday 10-2 PM through May 28th. MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

4/22/16 9:36 AM

West End Loop

artloopwilm.org The Howard Pyle Studio 1305 N. Franklin Street Wilmington, DE 610.644.5440 www.howardpylestudio.org

Somerville Manning Gallery 101 Stone Block Row, Breck’s Mill, 2nd Floor Greenville, DE 302.652.0271 www.somervillemanning.com

Watercolors by Kathy Ruck and Siv Spurgeon. The exhibit features recent watercolors by Kathy Ruck and Siv Spurgeon along with artwork by the members of the Studio Group Inc. Karl Kuerner and Christine Burke book signing! Art Loop reception: 5:30-8pm. On view by appointment only through May 31st, 2016.

American and European Masters. The American and European Masters exhibition follows the artworks of N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth and the artists of their eras; exploring over 100 years of masters in the American and European art world. Art Loop reception 5 – 7:30 P. On view Tuesday through Saturday 10 A – 5 P through June 4th.

Blue Streak Gallery at Toscana to Go 1412 N Dupont St Wilmington, DE

North Wilmington Library 3400 N. Market Street Wilmington, DE www.wilmington.lib.de.us

Abstraction, Graham Dougherty. Graham’s acrylic oil paintings represent light which transforms the commonplace pragmatic shelter into a metaphor of remembered or desired sensations. Blue Streak Gallery presents at Toscana to Go in Trolley Square. Art Loop reception 5 – 7 PM. On view Mon – Sun 7 A – 9 P through June 20th.

Art That Speaks : The Art of Lionya Black, This artwork will consist of a variety from abstract to illustrations. Recommission of a Battleship, #5 by Hiro Sakaguchi

Blue Streak Gallery 1721 Delaware Avenue Wilmington, DE 302.429.0506

Urban Bike Project 1500 N. Walnut Street Wilmington, DE www.urbanbikeproject.com

Disappearing Icons: Flourishing Colors, Madeleine Kelly. Barns are vanishing from our landscapes; this series is an exploration in texture and color and represents the fusion of her work in abstractions, pastels and oils. Art Loop reception 5–8 pm On view Tue – Fri 10 am – 5 pm, Sat 10 am – 4 pm through May 31st.

In celebration of National Bike Month, Wilmington’s Urban Bike Project presents Cycling : An Art Show, featuring new ink and watercolor originals and prints by local illustrator Todd Miyashiro. Art Loop reception 5 P – 8 P. One night only.

Petal Pushers 25A Trolley Square Wilmington, DE www.petalpushersdel.com

Colourworks Photo/Art Space 1902 Superfine Lane Wilmington, DE www.coulourworks.com

Fantasy Landscapes, Deanna Daly. Deanna Daly has created a series of watercolor and mixed media works, inspired by surrealism and fantasy illustrations, that depict different aspects of a “world” all the way down to the molecular level. Art Loop reception 5 – 8 PM. On view Monday through Friday 9 AM – 6 PM, Sat 10 - 3 through May 31st.

Station Gallery 3922 Kennett Pike Greenville, DE 302.654.8638 stationgallery.net City Scenes & Still Lifes, Ed Bronstein. New paintings and drawings by Philadelphia artist Ed Bronstein are featured in a solo show. Ed’s new work includes still life paintings, landscapes and city scenes from Delaware and the Philadelphia area. Art Loop reception 5-8 pm. On view Mon – Fri 9 am – 5 pm, Sat 10 am – 3 pm through May 27th. 44 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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North Wilmington Loop

Abstracts, Stillness and Streaks. Photographic images by Heather Siple.streak This new collection of images calls to mind the quiet beauty of things seen and unseen, as we move through the everyday. Art Loop reception 5:30 – 8:30 PM. On view Monday through Friday 8:30 – 5:30 PM through May 31st.

Buzz Ware Village Center at Arden 2119 the Highway Arden, DE ardenbuzz.com

A Moment in Time, Kathy Buckalew. Our lives are made up of moments of time, most of them rather ordinary and unremarkable. As a photographer, my goal is to record those moments. And that is what I would like to show you in this exhibit of “A Moment in Time,” a series of iPhone photographs. Art Loop Reception 6-8:30PM. On view by appointment only through May 14th. A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

4/22/16 9:38 AM

Theatre N at Nemours

theatren.org

PRICES: $8 | general admission $6 | seniors and children

*Theatre N reserves the right to change the film schedule at any time. Please visit our website at www.theatren.org for the most up to date information for all film and events at Theatre N.

302.576.2565 Monday - Friday 1007 N. Orange Street Wilmington, DE 19801

302.571.4075 Nights & Weekends theatren.org EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

NR | 2 hrs 5 mins | May 6-12 Fri. 1pm, 7pm | Sat. 5pm | Sun. 1pm, 7pm Mon. 7pm | Wed. 7pm Spanish,Portuguese,German,Catalan, Latin With English Subtitles SERPENT centers on Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people, and the two scientists who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship with him. The film was inspired by the real-life journals of two explorers (Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes) who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred and difficultto-find psychedelic Yakruna plant.

CITY OF GOLD

R | 1 hr 31 mins | May 6-12 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 4pm Tues. 7pm | Wed. 7pm In this richly penetrating documentary odyssey, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us a Los Angeles where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.

A SPACE PROGRAM

NR | 1 hr 12 mins | May 13-19 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 12pm Tues. 4pm | Wed. 7pm | Thurs. 4pm In A Space Program, internationally acclaimed artist Tom Sachs takes us on an intricately handmade journey to the red planet, providing audiences with an intimate, first person look into his studio and methods. The film is both a piece of art in its own right and a recording of Sachs’ historic piece, Space Program 2.0: MARS, which opened at New York’s Park Avenue Armory in 2012.

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

NR | 1 hr 29 mins | May 13-19 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 4pm Tues. 7pm | Thurs. 7pm Taryn Manning (“Orange is the New Black”) plays Gloria, a mother, wrestling with bipolar disorder and an imminent empty nest. Dedicated daughter Beth has a bright future ahead, but must decide if she will stay near home to care for her unpredictable mom or follow her own path.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

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MUSTANG

Early summer in a village in Northern Turkey. Five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a neighbor passes by and reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls’ family. The family overreacts, removing all “instruments of corruption,” like cell phones and computers, and essentially imprisoning the girls, subjecting them to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides.

TALE OF TALES

NR | 2 hrs 5 mins | May 20-26 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 4pm Tues. 7pm | Thurs. 7pm Tale of Tales unleashes a barrage of mindbogglingly gorgeous and fantastical imagery as it brings to life the (mis)adventures of three kings: in the kingdom of Darkwood, the King (Reilly) and his Queen (Hayek) attempt to conceive a child through very unusual means; meanwhile, in Highhills, the nonetoo-bright monarch (Toby Jones) marries off his daughter to brutal ogre while developing a strange obsession with breeding a giant flea; and, the sex-obsessed crown of Strongcliff (Vincent Cassel) is in for a shock when the woman he falls in love with is not quite what she seems.

APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD

NR | May 27 – June 2 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 4pm Tues. 7pm | Thurs. 4pm French with English subtitles Paris, 1941. A family of scientists is on the brink of discovering a powerful longevity serum when all of a sudden a mysterious force abducts them, leaving their young daughter April behind. Ten years later, April (voiced by Academy Award nominee Marion Cotillard) lives alone with her dear cat, Darwin, and carries on her family’s research in secret. But she soon finds herself at the center of a shadowy and far-reaching conspiracy, and on the run from government agents, bicycle-powered dirigibles and cyborg rat spies.

THE FAMILY FANG

R | 1 hr 45 mins | May 27 – June 2 Fri. 4pm, 10pm | Sat. 2pm, 8pm | Sun. 4pm Tues. 7pm | Thurs. 7pm Adult siblings Baxter (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Nicole Kidman), scarred from an unconventional upbringing, return to their family home after an unlikely accident. When their parents (Christopher Walken and Maryann Plunkett) – performance artists famous for elaborate public hoaxes – suddenly go missing under troubling circumstances, Baxter and Annie investigate. Unsure whether it’s foul play or just another elaborate ruse, nothing can prepare them for what they discover. MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

4/22/16 9:30 AM

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1. Amtrak Station 2. Opera Delaware Studios/City Theater Co. 3. Wilmington Youth Rowing Assn., WYRA.ORG 4. Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park 5. Residences at Christina Landing 6. Harry’s Seafood Grill / Riverfront Market, HARRYS-SAVOY.COM 7. Delaware Theatre Co., DELAWARETHEATRE.ORG 8. FireStone Roasting House, FIRESTONERIVERFRONT.COM 9. Cosi at the Barclays Crescent Building, GETCOSI.COM 10. Hare Pavilion/Riverwalk 11. AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel Center, AAAMIDATLANTIC.COM 12. The Delaware Contemporary, THEDCCA.ORG

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13. Justison Landing, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, CURRIEDAYSPA.COM Veritas Wine & Spirits, VERITASWINESHOP.COM Starbucks on the Riverfront 14. Kooma, KOOMASUSHI.COM Goju Training Center, GOJUROBICS.COM 15. Delaware Children’s Museum, DELAWARECHILDRENSMUSEUM.ORG Riverwalk Mini Golf, RIVERWALKMINIGOLF.COM 16. Joe’s Crab Shack, JOESCRABSHACK.COM 17. Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, IRONHILLBREWERY.COM 18. Public Docks 19. Big Fish Grill, BIGFISHRIVERFRONT.COM

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Visit RiverfrontWilm.com for info on events happening at the Riverfront! 20. Frawley Stadium, BLUEROCKS.COM Delaware Sports Museum & Hall of Fame 21. Chase Center on the Riverfront, CENTERONTHERIVERFRONT.COM 22. Dravo Plaza & Dock 23. Shipyard Center Planet Fitness, PLANETFITNESS.COM 24. Timothy’s Restaurant, TIMOTHYSONTHERIVERFRONT.COM Molly’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, MOLLYSICECREAM.COM Ubon Thai Restaurant 25. Wilmington Rowing Center, WILMINGTONROWING.ORG 26. Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge/ DuPont Environmental Education Center, DUPONTEEC.ORG

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27 Riverfront Commuter Lot, RIVERFRONTWILM.COM/PARKING 28. Penn Cinema Riverfront IMAX, PENNCINEMARIVERFRONT.COM 29. CrossFit Riverfront, CFRIVERFRONT.COM 30. The Residences at Harlan Flats, HARLANFLATS.THERESIDENCES.NET 31. Stratosphere Trampoline Park, WILMINGTONTRAMPOLINEPARK.COM 32. The Westin Wilmington, WESTINWILMINGTON.COM River Rock Kitchen, RIVERROCKKITCHEN.COM 33. Delaware Humane Association, DEHUMANE.ORG Photo by Joe del Tufo

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#ALLINFUN TOP PICKS

Wilmington Flower Market Thurs, May 5 - Sat, May 7

Wilmington Grand Prix Fri, May 13 - Sun, May 15

Star Wars Day at the Zoo Saturday, May 14

Riverwalk Mini Golf Opens Saturday, May 14

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MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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O&A Bartender_NJ.qxp_2015 3/8/16 2:25 PM Page 1

Thursday, June 2 6 PM –9 PM

The Delaware Zoological Society

supporting the Brandywine Zoo and the BBC Tavern and Grill invite you to a Guest Bartender Night at BBC on Thursday, June 2 from 6 PM till 9 PM. Join the BBC and Guest Bartenders to help raise money for the Brandywine Zoo. BBC Tavern and Grill 4019 Kennett Pike, Greenville, DE

brandywinezoo.org • 302 . 571 . 7747 The Brandywine Zoo is managed by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society.

JOIN US ON ANY OF OUR PATIOS

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www.HARRYSHOSPITALITYGROUP.COM • #hhgROUPIe 50 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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4/22/16 1:23 PM

Photo Keith Mosher

EAT

The first Big Fish Grill, in Rehoboth Beach, features a tiki bar.

The Big Fish in the Small Wonder Eric Sugrue is the restaurateur who can navigate both the beach and Wilmington By Pam George

ric Sugrue is an entrepreneur who relishes testing the water. His Big Fish Restaurant Group owns establishments from the resort town of Rehoboth Beach to the affluent suburb of Glen Mills, Pa. The newest, Trolley Square Oyster House, is located in the former home of Satsuma and the Del Rose Café, and he’s put the wheels in motion to build Taco Grande Mexican Grill and Tequila Bar on the Wilmington Riverfront. Sugrue, who has lived at the beach since he was 7, has successfully navigated two diverse culinary scenes: the highly competitive—and seasonal—coastal market and the notoriously fickle New Castle County market. And as any restaurateur who’s tried it can tell you, that’s no easy feat. “Eric is an example of a restaurateur with vision who’s not afraid to take chances and explore other markets,” says Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts, which owns eight—soon to be nine—restaurants. “Big Fish Grill continues

to be a successful concept, year after year, and he’s taken existing restaurants like Salt Air and Summer House to the next level.” Sugrue is passionate about quality, says Steve “Monty” Montgomery, president of the Delaware Restaurant Association board of directors and a partner with Sugrue in Nick’s Fish House in south Baltimore. “When you dine in one of his establishments, you know you’re getting fresh, quality ingredients—not something that has been frozen or been sitting around,” says Montgomery, who also co-owns several Delaware restaurants, including the Starboard and Bethany Blues. Sugrue’s knack for finding the right market, the right location, and the right concept is rooted in experience. He was 13 when he became a busboy in a Rehoboth Beach restaurant. After earning a degree in business from the University of Delaware, he joined the Knoxville, Tenn.-based Cooper Cellar Restaurant Corp., owned by a family friend, which had several chain restaurants. ► MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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EAT

BBC

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302.655.3785 CHECK OUT WEEKLY LUNCH, DINNER AND DRINK SPECIALS @ BBCTAVERNANDGRILL.COM

52 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo courtesy of Eric Sugrue

THE BIG FISH IN THE SMALL WONDER continued from previous page

Sugrue with, from left, Lisa Breedlove, director of operations for northern locations, Holly Monaco, vice president & COO, and Amy Polend, director of operations for southern locations.

In 1997, Sugrue and older brother Norman Sugrue Jr. pooled their money, borrowed from family and friends, and took out a bank loan to open Big Fish Grill in a building that once housed The Crab House. An adjoining market—which offers proprietary sauces, spice mixes, fresh fish and vegetables, and takeout—followed. Big Fish swam upstream in 2009 with the opening of a Riverfront location, which sits next to Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, and establishments began popping up in quick succession. FireStone Roasting House followed just around the Christina River’s bend, and a third Big Fish opened in 2010 next to P.F. Chang’s in the Brinton Lake Shopping Center in Glen Mills. Both serve the well-heeled shoppers who’ve maxed out their credit cards at J. Crew, Talbots, Pottery Barn and Anthropologie. Although they have a similar décor—complete with nautical colors and mounted fish— the three Big Fish Grill restaurants have dissimilar layouts and individual attitudes. “We never intended them to be the same,” Sugrue says. “They’re different based on the demographics and the personality” of the location.” One has only to attend a lively happy hour in the Rehoboth location’s tiki-inspired bar, which did not carry over to its sister locations, for proof of that. It’s a far different vibe than the more sedate outdoor dining area in Glen Mills.

Always on the lookout

Sugrue is always on the lookout for new sites that can handle another Big Fish Grill, but they’re not easy to find. The concept and its larger-than-life décor won’t work as well in a small space. There’s another reason why Big Fish suits a large structure. Volume is a plus, given that seafood has a slim profit margin. To help cut costs and offer affordable menu items, the Big Fish Group opened a wholesale division, which also sells to other restaurants. Not content to build a restaurant or concept from scratch, the Big Fish Group in 2006 purchased the iconic Summer House, where Sugrue had once worked. A Rehoboth Beach landmark since 1977, the restaurant had become a popular watering hole. The group also purchased Salt Air on Wilmington Avenue, which had opened to raves and then stumbled when the owner became ill. Taking over an existing location has its own challenges. “You’re either trying to change its reputation or build upon it,” Sugrue says. “When we bought the Summer House, it was mainly known for burger night, Long Island iced tea night, $2 Miller Lites. They weren’t focused on food. We changed that. Now the bar complements the dining and the dining is not secondary to the bar.” Salt Air was a great concept that wasn’t well executed, he says. Guests, vendors, and the staff had eventually soured on the restaurant in the owner-operator’s absence. “Taking that over was interesting,” he says dryly. But he was up to the task. Walk past the restaurant’s bank of glass windows even in winter and you’ll see packed dining rooms. There’s a lengthy waiting list come summer. The 2014 opening of The Crab House in Rehoboth Beach, named for the first Big Fish’s former occupant, brought another seafood restaurant into the fold. Some may have considered it a risk, given that the Route 1 site had a series of failed restaurants. Sugrue, who owned the building, was tired of finding new tenants so he opted to open his own here. It initially was closed in the off-season. As of this summer, it’s now open all year except for a planned three-week hiatus. OCTOBER 2015 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

4/22/16 3:41 PM

Testing the Trolley Square waters

Photo Joe del Tufo

The Trolley Square Oyster House is a return to Big Fish's roots, however, Sugrue sees this space as more of an intimate neighborhood hotspot. “We want it to be a great little restaurant with high quality food. It will be a fun place to go all the time. I have a feeling that the same people will keep coming back, just like all the other places in Trolley Square. We really want to bring back the feel of the Del Rose, which had a very loyal clientele.” (One hopes the Del Rose’s chopped salad might appear on the menu.) Those familiar with Satsuma will find new paint, lighting, and flooring. The footprint remains nearly the same—the space is only 15feet wide, he notes. “We’re really just redoing what was there.” There’s now a raw bar, where you can slurp oysters and watch the shuckers. As is the case with SoDel Concepts and Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, the Big Fish Group expands in part to promote and keep longtime employees familiar with the business. This year, Sugrue plans to put a food truck on the road that will pull from all the group’s menus. In addition, Big Fish now has Market Craft, a catering service that delivers food for a minimum of 20 people. So what’s next? “No clue,” he says. “I don’t wake up in the middle of the night saying, ‘God, I want to open an Indian restaurant.’ I’m not a chef, and I don’t live in New York City, where if you offer quality food they will come.” But you can bet that he’ll come up with something. “Eric is competitive with himself to find the absolute best way to put quality options in front of his customers for a great value,” Montgomery says. “Trust me. I've been eating with the guy for nearly 30 years; I owe him for 20 of these pounds in my own belly!”

General Manager Erik Holzbaur and Big Fish Group Director of Operations Lisa Breedlove at Trolley Square Oyster House, which Sugrue hopes will become an intimate neighborhood hotspot.

A seafood menu creates high expectations and potentially high wholesale cost; people will only pay so much. And in a seafood restaurant, you can’t recoup the costs with veal specials—they largely go unnoticed. An Italian eatery, Bella Coast, built from the ground up next to the Charcoal Pit on Route 202 in Wilmington, was a logical addition to balance the restaurant group’s offerings. That will also be the case with Taco Grande Mexican Grill and Tequila Bar, the 6,000-square-foot restaurant that should open this year between Iron Hill Restaurant & Brewery and Big Fish Grill on the Riverfront.

GALLUCIO’S DAILY SPECIALS & NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT!

Mondays

3 Course Meal $25 includes App, Soup or Salad, and Entrée (5-9pm) Anthony Gallucio & The Retreads 10-1am

Tuesdays

Family Night Kids under 10 eat FREE (Kids Menu) ”Q’s” Day Open Mic w/ Shawn Qaissaunee. 8-11pm

Wednesdays

½ Price Pizza (5-10pm) Quizzo w/Keith 8-11pm

Thursdays

½ Price Burgers All Day! Live Jazz Series 8-11pm

Happy Hour M-F 2-6pm Check out our craft selection! Just $4 during Happy Hour.

Take-Out Party Trays Available

Fridays

½ Price Bottle of Wine (5-10pm) With purchase of 2 Dinner Entrees Open Mic w/ Anthony Gallucio Acoustic 6-9pm

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All-Star Karaoke 9-1am

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23oz. Yuenglings and Miller Lite Drafts COUNTRY WESTERN SUNDAY 1st & 3rd Sunday *ALL NIGHTLY SPECIALS IN-HOUSE ONLY

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1709 Lovering Ave • Wilmington • (302) 655-3689 • Gallucios-de.com

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Join us for the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest

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May 5 - 8

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Live Bands & DJ Photo booth Dunk tank Salsa Dancers

Happy Hour M-F, 4:30-7pm

Corona Girls Food & Drink Specials Giveaways Kid Friendly

$9.95 Lunch Specials, M-F

302.478.3939 | 3100 Naamans road | MexicanPost.com | facebook.com/Mex.Post

54 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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EAT

Fiesta with the Best: our SalsA tasTe Test Wherein our intrepid staff sacrifices taste buds for the benefit of our readers By Jim Miller

ith Cinco de Mayo fast approaching and symptoms of spring fever already here, your chances of encountering fiesta improvisada, or, as it’s better known in the U.S., the impromptu house party, are greatly increased. Thankfully we’re here to help. Consider this a public service announcement: the mere presence of chips and salsa may be all it takes to prevent your fiesta from becoming a fiasco. With that in mind and your best interests at heart, the Out & About staff labored through two days of salsa tasting to find the answer to the question: What’s the best store-bought salsa? In a blind taste test, we sampled a dozen national brands—all of which you can find at Janssen’s Market and/or your local ShopRite—and scored each on qualities such as flavor, consistency and heat. From the worst to the best, here’s how they ranked:

12) TOSTITOS MEDIUM CHUNKY SALSA In last place, Tostitos suffered mostly from being unforgivably bland. Yes, this is the Al Gore of salsas. One staff member found it to have a “mass-produced” taste, while another described it as “soggy and boring.” In one word: Nostitos. 11) PACE ORIGINAL PICANTE SAUCE Take several paces past this sauce the next time you see it in stores. If Tostitos fared poorly by playing it safe, Pace seemed hell-bent on offending our taste buds. Three of the judges gave it the lowest score possible; two commented that it tasted “like cocktail sauce.” 10) NEWMAN’S OWN MEDIUM CHUNKY SALSA God bless Paul Newman. He was a talented actor and a wonderful humanitarian. We love that his products raise money for those in need. But when the tasting was over, we wondered if the next charity might be the kitchen that produced this salsa. One staff member called it “awful” while another went as far as to coin a new word: “vomitous.” 9) XOCHITL CHIPOTLE SALSA MILD It’s true: Montezuma got his revenge. Still does. Every time someone buys a jar of this over-priced salsa with the exotic, unpronounceable name—although we researched it. Translated from an ancient Aztec dialect, Xochitl means “we just ripped you off, sucka.” Scored consistently low. ► MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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EAT FIESTA WITH THE BEST: OUR SALSA TASTE TEST continued from previous page

8) OLD EL PASO MEDIUM THICK ‘N‘ CHUNKY SALSA Like an old, drunken gunslinger who may have roamed the streets of El Paso way back when, this salsa was mostly hit or miss. Some enjoyed the sweet heat this veteran brand offered. Others felt it was “too pasty.” One judge simply said, “No.”

7) HERR’S MEDIUM CHUNKY SALSA The best thing about this salsa? It was the “best buy” of the budget salsas, outperforming several more expensive competitors. The worst thing? This back-handed compliment from one of our staffers: “I bet this is a tacky brand, but I like the balance between the sauce and chunks.”

6) FRONTERA MILD SALSA MEXICANA Coming in the top half of the rankings, Frontera’s big chipotle flavor pleased some and annoyed others. “Nice smoky flavor,” one staffer raved, while another said, “I feel like I just got punched in the face by the smoke monster from Lost.” 5) JARDINES MEDIUM TEXASALSA Who knows exactly what “Texasalsa” really is, but on the whole, it scored better than average. “Interesting, but lots going on here,” said one. “Smoky tasting, but not hot enough,” said another. A third judge found it “a bit sour.” 4) FIELD DAY ORGANIC TOMATO CILANTRO SALSA Scoring just slightly better than Jardine’s, Field Day prides itself on using organic ingredients. Though several staffers enjoyed the cilantro flavor of the salsa, one of the organic ingredients that stuck out too much was water. “Watery,” one said. “Too watery. As thin as Gandhi.” 3) GREEN MOUNTAIN GRINGO MEDIUM SALSA From the verdant hills of Vermont comes this top three finisher. A couple of judges disliked the apple-cider vinegar notes that came with each bite. Many more, however, gave big scores to this brand, commenting on its “zesty” and “robust” flavors and juicy chunks of tomatoes. You ask, “Gringo?” We say, “Bingo!” 2) BLUE SMOKE SWEET ONION SALSA Hailing from West Virginia of all places, our silver-medal salsa is also noteworthy for its use of sweet onion as an ingredient. In our test, this brand held the additional distinction of having the widest range of scores, most of which were good. But no one quite figured out why the brand is called “Blue Smoke.” What exactly were they smoking when they thought of that? Maybe something the Gringo sent.

◄ Brian Ashby is hoping to open 8th & Union Kitchen this month in Little Italy. Photo David Norbut 56 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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1) DESERT PEPPER MEDIUM TEQUILA SALSA For some it was the heat. For others it was the chunky bits of tomato. And a couple of judges noticed the subtle tequila bite. Whatever the case, at the end of the day, Desert Pepper Trading Co. ran away with the gold. Since the ‘80s, the company has operated near the intersecting borders of Texas, Mexico and New Mexico. Somehow it has managed to capture and distill those influences into a single jar. Nicely done, Desert Pepper! APRIL 2015 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

4/22/16 3:16 PM

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ANTI-BIOTIC FREE

CHICKEN

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SUMMER SAVingS · SpEciAl EVEntS

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MONDAYS

½ Price Appetizers All Day

$15 Corona & Corona Light Buckets $2.50 Bud & Bud Light Drafts • $3.00 Bud & Bud Light 16oz Aluminum Bottles

TUESDAYS

½ Price Burgers All Day $1.50 Domestic Drafts after 7pm

WEDNESDAYS

All You Can Eat Wings $11.99 after 5pm

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS

All You Can Eat Shrimp $12.99 after 5pm, Prime Rib $18.99

Prime Rib $22.99, $2.50 Taylor’s Grog 7pm-close

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58 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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EAT HONEYGROW OPENS IN NEWARK

BITES T Tasty things worth knowing

he long wait for the Newark location of the Philadelphia start-up restaurant, honeygrow, is coming to an end. By June, the restaurant will open its doors in Newark. Honeygrow, which uses locally grown ingredients, will feature custom photography at the Newark location by Delaware native Carlos Alejandro. The new menu features seasonal salads and sandwiches and will be made to order via honeygrow’s proprietarily designed touchscreen ordering system. For more information, visit honeygrow.com.

FORK IN THE ROAD DEBUTS

he popular I Don’t Give a Fork Food Truck has now been established as a café at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Plaza called Fork in the Road. Although the food truck still runs, this second endeavor offers the same menu as the truck and also new breakfast and lunch choices such as freshly baked muffins and mac-and-cheesesteaks. The café’s grand opening was on April 9 and showcased the new menu as well as the new catering options. For more information, visit forkintheroadcafe.com.

ROLLING REVOLUTION EVENT IS MAY 6

he Rolling Revolution is a community of people who work to improve the regulations on vendors and food trucks. On Friday, May 6, The Delaware Contemporary Rolling Revolution Annual Food Truck Night Market is returning at 200 S. Madison St., Wilmington. This year, the food truck rally will be bigger and better. With 10 vendors from around Delaware in attendance, Dogfish Head beer and wine provided by the Delaware Contemporary, live music and more, this event is ideal for families. There also will be a henna tattoo artist on site, plus an art showcase. For more information, visit rollingrev.com.

FOODIE FRIDAY

n Friday, May 13, four area food trucks are changing their menus for a fundraising event, Foodie Friday at Blue Ball Barn at Alapocas Run State Park, offering a cutting edge fare to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Delaware. The Brunch Box, Cajun-Sno, Koi on the Go and WiLDWiCH are creating menus that team fan favorites with challenging small plates. Every menu item will be $4-$5, and beer and wine will be available from Peco’s Liquor Store. A $5 per-person entry fee also goes to the charity. Featuring live music by Rob Swanson, the event is 6-9 p.m.

FOOD BANK TO OFFER EXPANDED TRAINING TO FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

tarting in June, the Food Bank of Delaware will expand its food service training by offering the National Restaurant Association’s ManageFirst Program to the public. Ten-week classes start Monday, June 20, and will be offered at the Food Bank’s locations in both Newark and Milford. The curriculum is designed for individuals working in the food service industry who are interested in attaining additional skills to increase their pay and position within the field. “Training and education help develop talent for Delaware's 2,000 restaurants, and Delaware's restaurant community will need to fill almost 5,000 jobs by 2026,” said Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association. For more visit fbd.org.

TACO FESTIVAL SET FOR JUNE 25

night filled with authentic, delicious food, live music, and more than 30 taco vendors is coming to Delaware. The first-ever taco festival is taking place on Saturday, June 25, at Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront. Guests will pay $35-$55 entry fee to be a part of the Mexican-style dining experience, which includes a variety of drinks, such as tequila sampling and a margarita bar. There will be live entertainment as well as contests like chili pepper eating. With more details coming soon, visit inwilmingtonde.com. MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DRINK

The

Mexican Beer Movement Brands from south of the border continue to grow in popularity. And not only during Cinco de Mayo celebrations. By Rob Kalesse

mong many liquor storeowners and bartenders there is a topic of debate that beer geeks may find hard to believe: While craft beer is still immensely popular and the options therein are limitless, has it reached a point of market oversaturation after three decades, and will that kill off a good portion of the herd? It’s not a debate that can be settled over a few pints, but one point everyone can agree on: There is a specific portion of the market that continues to grow, year after year, despite not having the words “craft,” “India Pale Ale,” or “microbrewery” attached to the brands. That sector is Mexican beers, including classics like Tecate, Dos Equis and Pacifico, and especially Corona Extra and Modelo Especial, which now sit at Nos. 5 and 9, respectively, in terms of beer sales in the United States. And as everyone prepares for Cinco de Mayo and the warm, lighter beer-drinking months, those popular light lagers show no signs of giving up their market share. In fact, according to Beer Institute, a trade association for the American brewing industry out of Washington, D.C., Constellation

Brands—which owns the four brands mentioned above, as well as Corona Light, Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial Chelado—saw a 20 percent increase in sales in February alone. In Delaware, Tecate sales are up 53 percent, says Tim Schuler, marketing manager at Standard Distributing. “The Mexican beer market is hot, so much so that [craft icon] Oskar Blues has introduced a beer to take advantage of it.” So why are Mexican beers like Modelo Especial, Corona, Tecate and Dos Equis still growing? Part of it has to do with the ability to corner the market because most beer drinkers think of the big brand names when it comes to Mexican products. But Joe Rapposelli, a Brand Development manager at NKS Distributors in New Castle, believes the reason is a little more nuanced, in two ways. First, Rapposelli says the drinkability and relative inexpensive cost drives consumers to the beers. Second, he says, there is a continuing uptick in the Latino population in Delaware. ► MARCH MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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4/25/16 10:40 AM

LOHO TIKI BAR IS NOW OPEN! Outdoor entertainment all summer long! Check out loganhouse.com for upcoming bands.

Join us Saturdays for Caribbean night Caribbean food and drinks. $3 Red Stripe bottles.

LUNCH IS BACK AT

SMOKEHOUSE LUNCH AT LOHO

All summer long!

Monday-Friday 11 A.M.-3 P.M. Late Night starting in May

OUTDOOR SEATING IS AVAILABLE

Full menu available at loganhouse.com *must be 21 to enter. Takeout is available

LOGANHOUSE.COM OR

DRINK

“These are good, crisp, light beers that people want to drink THE MEXICAN BEER this time of the year, instead of MOVEMENT loading up on high-alcohol IPAs continued from previous page and the like,” says Rapposelli. “But also, we’re not only seeing an increase in the overall Latino population in Delaware, but also a major population boom in the legal age group of 21.” According to a November 2014 story in The News Journal, Delaware’s Hispanic population will grow the fastest of all demographics, and by 2060 it will double to about 16 percent in farm-rich Sussex County, with similar results forecast for New Castle and Kent counties. Whether or not Latinos reaching the age of 21 choose the beer their parents and aunts and uncles may have drunk is up for debate, depending on where you look. At Hockessin Liquors, though, where many migrant workers employed at mushroom farms in the Kennett Square area buy their beer, Mexican brands are through the roof. “With all the Mexican workers at the mushroom farms, and us being right here by the border, we sell a lot of Mexican beers, mostly Corona and Modelo,” says Luis Sedano, store manager at Hockessin Liquors. “I don’t think it has anything to do with age here, because we see all kinds of ages looking for lighter beers they can drink. But I can tell you we go through a ton of those two beers.” Rapposelli says NKS typically delivers 700 cases of Modelo Especial each week to Hockessin Liquors, as well as kegs of Corona and Modelo to local restaurants like the Mexican Post on Concord Pike. There, General Manager Tony George sometimes feels as if he can’t keep up with the demand. “Maybe it’s because we’re a Mexican restaurant, but we sell more Dos Equis and Negra Modelo on draft than anything else,” says George. “And we always have an IPA on draft and a few in bottles, but the imports sell here. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that those beers pair better with our food. No one wants to have a big meal of burritos or nachos and then wash it down with a heavy, big-calorie IPA.” Venu Gaddamidi, owner of Veritas Wine & Craft Beer in Wilmington, agrees that drinking a fully loaded IPA on a 95-degree day isn’t exactly ideal. As for the notion that members of the Hispanic community now reaching legal age are brand-loyal, well, that’s another matter. “As a second generation Indian living in this country, I spend more money in bars and restaurants than my parents, and I have to believe that second generation Hispanics do the same,” says Gaddamidi. “Corona and Modelo are staples that any segment would drink, whether you’re really into craft or are from some corner of Alabama where PBR and Yuengling might be considered high-end.” At his shop, Gaddamidi features one specific line of Mexican craft, Day of the Dead. The Mexican line of craft ales and lagers is produced by Cerveceria Mexicana, located just an hour east of Tijuana. Its artistic labels are dedicated to Dia de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. “I carry an IPA from their lineup and the Chocolati Stout, which came through very well, even though they might not be terribly popular,” says Gaddamidi. “They’re Mexican beers, sure, but I stock them because I like them, not necessarily because they’re Mexican.” No matter what your heritage, this month is a perfect time to try a Mexican beer, as local bars and restaurants celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Thursday, May 5, through that weekend. Whatever your taste—the lighter Corona or Modelo Especial, the more amber Negra Modelo or Victoria, or craft like Day of the Dead—the options are plentiful. And it looks like they’ll continue to grow in popularity for the foreseeable future.

62 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Beer

DRINK

Grainiac

Lunch Specials (Bar Only, No Take Out)

Monday

½ Price crab cakes! made with jumbo lump crab meat

Craft beer reviews from Grain’s Jim O’Donoghue

THIS MONTH:

Victory Summer Love Ale

here are plenty of reasons to love summer, and Victory Summer Love Ale is another! All summer you want to be outside with your friends, whatever the activity, if it’s a situation where beer is a second thought to what’s at hand, this is the beer to reach for! Summer Love is a nice smooth ale that goes with just about anything, and at 5.2 percent ABV, it is not nearly as strong as some of its peers. Perfect for spending a long afternoon on the patio with friends and some nachos. Victory’s Summer Love was also one of our top sellers when we opened last August and it is exciting to have it back on tap.

11:30am – 2:30pm

Tue sday $

Taco Tuesday!

4.95 taco of the day with red rice 11:30am – 2:30pm

We dne sday

HaPPy Hour XL!

enjoy happy hour specials noon to 7pm

– Jim O’Donoghue

Thur sday

½ Price burgers! all day in the lounge

Fr iday

Newark’s best Live music wed-sun

dog day afTernoon! 4 hot dog menu with 5 kinds of dogs $ .95

main

ino Gra

11:30am – 2:30pm

#Musicworthdoing

302.777.2040 | TonicBarGrille.com 111 West 11th Street | Downtown Wilmington

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Join Us As We Celebrate Our 80TH ANNIVERSARY

Tuesday Rib Special:

FULL RACK or COMBO

ONLY

Mondays: 15% off Craft Beer 6-Packs • Tuesdays: 15% off Whiskeys over $50 Wednesdays: 15% off 750mls of Wine • Thursdays: $2 off Growler Fills

.99 In House Only

64 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DRINK

SIPS Here's what's pouring PERFECT SUMMER BEER

he weather is warming up and Heavy Seas Beer is brewing its seasonal summer beer, Smooth Sail. This re-commissioned beer is available in cans and on draft until September in the 17 states where Heavy Seas is distributed. This American wheat ale, brewed with dried lemon and orange peel, has a 4.5 percent ABV. Its content is more than 20 percent malted wheat—perfect for any outdoor activity. For more information on this seasonal ale, visit hsbeer.com.

WISTERIA WHEAT DEBUTS

he Fordham and Dominion Brewing Co. is bringing back the popular Wisteria Wheat in newly designed packaging. This spring/summer seasonal ale was last brewed and available to the public only on draft in 2014. From May through July, Wisteria Wheat is available on draft and in six-packs. It has a bright golden color and subtle flavors of banana and clove, making it great for warm weather. For more information on Wisteria, visit fordhamanddominion.com.

MOVIES ARE ON TAP

remier Wine and Spirits, Penn Cinema, and Out and About Magazine are continuing their partnership to put on a monthly interactive tasting series. Movie and beer fans will get the opportunity to meet and greet local brewers while watching cult classic films on the big screen. On Thursday, May 26, the featured film will be Ghostbusters. For those 21 and over, tickets are $20 and include beer samples, a movie ticket, and popcorn. Proceeds go to a charity of the brewer’s choice. For more information, visit penncinema.com.

WO R L D C A F E L I V E AT T H E Q U E E N

CINCO DE MAYO FUN!

n Thursday, May 5, Margaritas Grill on Old Capitol Trail is celebrating with $15 beer buckets, $3 margaritas, Mexican beer samplers, along with tequila and mezcal samplers. Special assorted Mexican tapas, buffalo wings, and Cinco de Mayo nachos will be available, along with regular menu items. Meanwhile, Santa Fe has scheduled its fifth annual Cinco de Mayo Festival on Sunday, May 8. Bands and drink specials run from 2-9 p.m. at the Wilmington location. For more information, visit santafemexicangrill.com. Also on May 8, The Mexican Post Restaurant and Bar will host another Cinco de Mayo Festival. Along with a live band and DJ, there will be a photo booth, dunk tank, drink specials and salsa dancers to bring a true Mexican vibe. The 16th annual festival begins at noon and continues until closing and will be at the Wilmington location. Visit mexicanpost.com for more information.

NEW WHISKEY COMING

special 18-month aged hopped whiskey, Double Trouble D, has been introduced by Delaware distillers. The Dover-based Dominion Brewing Co. and Painted Stave Distilling in Smyrna have partnered to create a oneof-a-kind whiskey that mixes Dominion’s Double D Imperial IPA and Painted Stave’s hopped whiskey. A 200-bottle release was showcased last month at the Fordham & Dominion’s fifth Annual R2Hop2 Beer and Music Festival in Dover and at the Painted Stave Distilling in Smyrna. Every fall and spring starting this October, Double Trouble D will be available at Painted Stave Distilling and select retail stores in the Mid-Atlantic region for $35 a bottle.

UNEXPECTED AND DELICIOUS PAIRINGS 4 COURSES & D E S S E RT

MAY 14

JUne 11

S AT U R DAY S AT 3 P M

TICKETS AT WORLDCAFELIVE.COM

5 0 0 N M A R K E T S T. W I L M I N G TO N, D E 302.994.1400 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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LISTEN

TUNED IN

Photo Matt Urban

Not-to-be-missed music news

From left to right: Keep It Dark members Joe Cardillo, Christian Salcedo, Matt Urban, Joe Trainor, Andy Faver, Adam Beck, and Christine McAllister.

AN EVENING OF GENESIS

Local band Keep It Dark plays tribute show May 14 Local tribute group Keep It Dark tackles one of rock’s most iconic bands with An Evening of Genesis—Live at World Cafe Live at The Queen in Wilmington on Saturday, May 14. Keep It Dark formed specifically for this performance and plans to bring to life material from Genesis’ full career. Keep It Dark, featuring vocalist Joe Trainor, guitarist Adam Beck, guitarist Andy Faver, keyboardist Joe Cardillo, bassist Christian Salcedo, drummer Matt Urban and backing vocalist Christine McAllister, will be performing a mix of material from Genesis, from the longer progressive pieces with Peter Gabriel to hits and fan favorites from the Phil Collins tenure. Trainor, Faver, Salcedo and Urban are no strangers to tribute shows. They’re all members of the band In The Light, playing soldout area concerts paying homage to Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who and Pink Floyd. “We’re tackling Genesis’ most challenging material, but also presenting a few of the hits, so it’ll have a little something for everyone,” says Urban. “We’ve pulled out all the stops.” Genesis, which formed in 1967, became cemented as a giant in the realm of progressive rock. “There are a handful of Genesis tribute bands that have performed in our area, but many of them focus on one aspect of their career,” says Trainor. “I wanted this show to be a full crosssection of their recording history. It will not be a short show!” Tickets, available at queen.worldcafelive.com, are $20 and the show starts at 8 p.m.

A NIGHT OF STARDUST

Area musicians honor David Bowie on May 21 Local artists will gather on Saturday, May 21, to pay tribute to one of rock music’s most revered performers, David Bowie, for A Night of Stardust: David Bowie Remembered, at the main stage at World Cafe Live at The Queen. 66 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Ten area musicians will pay homage to the music legend—who passed away Jan. 10— by performing 25 of Bowie’s songs. They will be backed by a band directed by local artist Joe Trainor. “David Bowie is one of those artists that musicians love to perform,” says Trainor. “It’s artistic enough to be a challenge while being accessible and admired by a wide audience. Our hope is to present this show in a way that honors the man as much as the music.” The celebration, which should appeal to hardcore fans as well as casual listeners, will cover Bowie’s catalog from Space Oddity to Blackstar. The audience is encouraged to wear Bowie-inspired costumes. Proceeds of the show will benefit the Cancer Support Community of Delaware, which is a state-wide nonprofit that provides cancer support programs to participants at no cost. An addition to the celebration: Gable Music Ventures, owned and operated by Gayle Dillman and Jeremy Hebbel, will be celebrating the company’s fifth anniversary of developing and producing concert events—like the Ladybug Music Festival—in Wilmington. General admission tickets are $20, $40 for VIP. Tickets are available at queen. worldcafelive.com. The show begins at 8 p.m.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO COMING TO ARDEN Mexican-American singer-songwriter performs May 28

Mexican-American artist Alejandro Escovedo has spent a lifetime traversing the bridge between words and melody, melding joy, pain and honesty into his style. The singersongwriter is coming to Arden Gild Hall on Saturday, May 28, at 8 p.m. His rise in the music world has been a gradual, steady climb that has taken him across the country. He has performed in several bands, which led to his career as a solo performer. Escovedo began performing during the first-wave punk rock movement with The Nuns, Jennifer Miro and Jeff Olener in San Francisco, After his punk phase, he adopted a roots rock/alternative country style in the bands Rank and File and the True Believers. Then he went solo, releasing his first albums, Gravity and Thirteen Years, in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Collaborations with Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams, and others have occurred over the years, and Escovedo has continued to perform and record, attracting new fans while retaining the die-hards who have followed him for years. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for general admission.

MUSIC ON THE BACK DECK Kelly’s Logan House welcomes spring with outdoor performers The tiki bar at Kelly’s Logan House is now open for music lovers to enjoy live performances. The longstanding Irish bar, at 1701 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, will offer a variety of sounds Wednesdays through Saturdays this month. The typical lineup, including tiki and upstairs performances, includes Hall & Spadola on Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m., and Ritchie & Chris from 6-9 p.m. and DJ Gifted Hands from 9-midnight Thursdays. On Friday, May 6, the Bluth Brothers play from 6-9 p.m. followed by the Racket Boys 10 p.m.–1 a.m.; Saturday, May 7 brings Joel & Mike from 4-7 p.m. and the Muddy Crows from 10 p.m.-1 a.m., with various artists performing the following weekends. Visit loganhouse.com for more.

OUT & ABOUT LIVE DEBUTS AT THE ODDITY Chance to win Firefly tickets at May 21 event Out & About Live, a once-monthly series of live music performances featuring local bands at select area venues, kicks off Saturday, May 21 with Robert, Worth, Mud Guppies and Gozer at The Oddity Bar (500 Greenhill Ave., Wilmington). The series is sponsored by PBR Music and will feature Pabst Blue Ribbon beer specials. Those who attend the inaugural event have a chance to win a pair of tickets to Firefly. The series continues June 11 with Tracy Chapstick performing at Home Grown Café (126 E. Main St., Newark) and July 21 with the Summer Closing Party at The Nomad (905 N. Orange St., Wilmington.). Out & About Live will continue through December. Visit outandaboutnow.com for updates.

COMING SOON TO

UPSTAIRS LIVE ALL SHOWS AT 8PM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED GABLE MUSIC VENTURES PRESENTS FREE!

MAY 4, 11, 18, 25 JUNE 1, 8 (7PM)

MAY 5 GOOCH AND THE MOTION LAURA CHEADLE

6 HEY MARSEILLES 7 KOOLIGANS LIVE IN CONCERT! 8 POINT TO POINT AFTER PARTY WITH MONTANA WILDAXE (5:30PM) 12 HEY MONAE, TODD CAREY, CONNOR ZWETSCH (7PM) 13 CHRISTINE HAVRILLA & GYPSY FUZZ MAMA’S BLACK SHEEP

14 BILLY PENN BURGER, THE D CORRIDORI BAND 16 MALCOLM BRUCE (SON OF CREAM’S JACK BRUCE) LOWER CASE BLUES (9PM)

19 ROBERT ZINN QUARTET (7PM) 20 TRASHCAN SINATRAS 21 XTRA ALLTRA (FREE) 26 ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT, ROYAL WOOD 27 SUPER 91.7 WMPH FUNDRAISER (7PM) 28 SHYTOWN VINYL SHOCKLEY JUN 2 STRUCTURED FREAKABILITY (5PM - FREE) 10 JAMES MCCARTNEY 11 THE DUPONT BROTHERS 15 SHEL 16 CONSIDER THE SOURCE, URBAN SHAMAN ATTACK 17 THE NIGHTHAWKS JUL 15 THE EVERLY BROTHERS EXPERIENCE 27 A MUSCLE SHOALS MUSIC REVUE WITH THE AMY BLACK BAND 500 N MARKET ST W I L M I N G TO N , D E (302)994.1400 WORLDCAFELIVE.COM

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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HAVE YOU HEARD OF SOMETHING?

4/25/16 10:55 AM

The Deer Park Tavern

MAY

Entertainment Schedule EVERY TUESDAY:

Jefe & DJ Andrew Hugh

EVERY THURSDAY & FRIDAY:

DJ Willoughby SATURDAYS:

Mother’s Day - May 8th

Make Your Reservation Today! Every Mom Gets a Carnation! MONDAYS ½ Price Appetizers (5pm-Close)

WEDNESDAYS - MEXICAN NIGHT! ½ Price Nachos & Quesadillas ALL DAY! $3 Coronas & Margaritas • $1.50 Tacos

TUESDAYS ½ Price Burgers ALL DAY! $4 Double LIT’s

THURSDAYS ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Wings (5pm-Close) ½ Price Burgers (11:30am-3pm) • $2 Rail Drinks

7th- Universal Funk Order 14th-Tweed 21st-Vigilantes 28th-Radio Halo

SUNDAY NIGHT: Chorduroy

Book The Roaming Raven for Your Graduation Party!

302.369.9414 | 108 West Main Street, Newark | www.deerparktavern.com Be our friend on Facebook!

Call Ashby Hospitality: (302) 894-1200

BUILD A BETTER YOU Monday

Industry Appreciation Night

Tuesday

‘80s Era Video Games Classic Pinball • Skeeball 21 Beers on Tap • Area Craft Brews

She Blinded Me with Internet Porn (Multi-decade trivia)

Wednesday

Bonus Stage: Comedy Melee and Open Mic with Brandon Jackson

Thursday

Karoake! with DJ Drew’s SuperAwesome Traveling Roadshow

Friday and Saturday

LIVE

MUSIC!

2 5 1 8 We s t 4 t h S t . Wilmington, DE

(302) 658-5077

Local and National Original Live Music!

Sunday 1984 Skee-Beer League Returns!

68 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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MUSIKARMAGEDDON CELEBRATES 10 YEARS The annual Wilmington music competition is back. Submissions and nominations are accepted all month. The annual Musikarmageddon band competition is blaring its way back to Wilmington for the 10th year, with artist nominations and submissions accepted from May 1-27. A Musikarmageddon Kick-Off Party will be held at Kelly’s Logan House in Wilmington on Thursday, June 9, featuring two winning bands from the past two years, Minshara and Weekday Warriors. Like last year, preliminary shows (with dates TBA) will be held in July and August at 1984, Kelly’s Logan House, Oddity Bar, and World Cafe Live at The Queen, with finals live at the baby grand on Saturday, Oct. 15. Event founder and prominent area musician Joe Trainor says that Musikarmageddon was something he developed to help bolster the profile of The Grand Opera House on the local music scene and to give bands in that scene an opportunity to perform at the baby grand. “To see it sustained and continue to grow over the last decade is very satisfying,” Trainor says. Pam Manocchio, director of community engagement at The Grand, is thrilled that The Grand can showcase local bands, support live music, and promote other venues during the competition. “It’s been great fun seeing the talent that comes through this battle-of-the-bands each year,” Manocchio says. “They are a big part of what makes Wilmington such a vibrant community. We need these musicians to continue working and creating and playing original music.” Nominate a musician or submit your band at musikarmageddon.com. —O&A

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70 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Bartender Candace Ryan, daughter of co-owner Fred Comegys, chats with patrons at Comegys Pub, where everyone is family. Photo Fred Comegys

wilmington’s welcoming

watering holes And don’t call them dives By Rob Kalesse

t’s both plain and easy to see that the current landscape of bars and restaurants in Delaware is growing by the month. Someone always seems to be announcing plans to expand, open a second location, reinvent themselves, or gut the old place and make it new again. While that’s all well and good, there’s something to be said for the old-school joints dripping with history and character, instead of craft beer lists and customer appreciation clubs.

Wilmington boasts a trio of such haunts—all in a relatively small pocket on the edge of town. Mulrooney’s Tavern, Comegys Pub and the Jackson Inn all have been around longer than most of their patrons have been drinking adult beverages. And according to the bartenders who work there and the loyalists who belly up to those bars, there aren’t any plans to fix what ain’t broke. ►

MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo Joe del Tufo

WILMINGTON'S WELCOMING WATERING HOLES continued from previous page

Joe Quill serving you a pint of Guinness at Mulrooney's Tavern.

luck of the irish at mulrooney’s tavern Stand outside the McDonald’s that borders Elsmere and Wilmington, and you’ll see most cars zipping by, accelerating from the speed limit of 25 to 35 miles per hour once they get past the city limits. Heading south, almost where the overpass begins to cut it off from view, stands Mulrooney’s, a watering hole serving locals since 1943. Out front is a simple package store, but behind that sits a bar where a thirsty drinker can get a beer as early as 9 a.m. Joe Quill, a St. Elizabeth’s High School grad who bought the tavern in 1997, says despite what some people might think from the outside, Mulrooney’s is not a dive bar. “I always considered a dive bar as a pick-up bar or a sleazy place, and believe me, there used to be plenty of spots like that around here,” says Quill. “I think the reason we’ve survived is because we’re not a dive bar—not by the original standards, at least. This is a friendly place where the regulars will talk and debate about all sorts of stuff at the bar, but still respect each other.” Brian Mulrooney, son of Hubert Mulrooney, who originally purchased the bar during World War II, echoes Quill. He says it was his father’s strict Irish background that let customers know his place was a nice bar to visit, but that riff-raff wouldn’t be tolerated. “My dad always ran a tight ship, and I think the clientele always appreciated that, because they knew they could come here for a few pints and still feel safe,” says the 73-year-old Mulrooney, who began tending bar at age 21 and still works a few shifts each week. Despite being a neighborhood bar with a package store attached, Mulrooney’s serves food in the dining room, which is drenched in green. Bar snacks, sandwiches and plenty of seafood, courtesy of Samuels & Son in Philadelphia, make up a three-page menu. “Oh yeah, we got a waitstaff, full kitchen and everything,” says Quill. “I never wanted to put pool tables in, or take the kitchen out, because I felt like that would have brought in the wrong crowd. But we get a good bunch of people that come in for dinner, especially on the weekends.” As for what has kept Mulrooney’s in business, even after Quill bought the joint almost 20 years ago, Mulrooney says it’s tough to pinpoint. “From my perspective, the money has always been good and the people are nice,” he says. “It sounds simple, I know, but you’d be amazed by how much people appreciate the idea of a neighborhood bar where they can go and just be themselves.” 72 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo Fred Comegys

Come Enjoy Our Patio!

Chris Henretty, who has 20 years at Comegys, serves (front to back) Bird Pagan, Louie Ortez, Pete Ortiz, Shannan Josephson, Glen Thompson and Jeff Sifford.

comegys=cheers? Imagine working as a photographer for the same local newspaper for 50 years. You’ve taken photos of heads of state, celebrities and professional athletes. You’ve captured images of burning buildings and victims in tears, as well as the joyous faces of countless high school athletes. And yet, when your name is entered in a Google search, the top result is a neighborhood bar. Such is the not-so-sorry lot of Fred Comegys, who, nearly three decades ago, along with his two brothers, purchased the pub that still stands on the corner of 3rd and Union streets. It’s there, particularly on Tuesday nights, that loyal patrons will find him, shooting the breeze with just about anyone who walks in the door, while his daughter, Candace Ryan, serves drinks. “Me and Mark and Randy were the Three Blind Mice—that was our logo—and it really couldn’t be closer to the truth,” says Comegys, who retired from The News Journal’s photo desk in 2012 after 53 years. “When we opened, we didn’t know anything about the bar business, and we still don’t.” But what he lacks in mixology knowledge, he more than makes up for in people knowledge. There typically isn’t a man or woman who walks into his pub who doesn’t know Comegys’ work. If they’re unfamiliar with it, Ryan, who started tending bar there at age 21, will fill them in. “Heck, all you have to do is look around the place and ask who shot the amazing photos hanging all over the walls,” she says of her dad’s work. The photojournalist’s shots—including legends like Johnny Cash and Allen Iverson—start at the front of the bar, continue past the jukebox, and go all the way to the back, where a shuffleboard table stands. “I think the shuffleboard has always been a draw, and people love to drop some coins in the box and start dancing when the mood strikes,” says Ryan. “But I guess the main reason people come back— and people seek us out—is that it’s just friendly in here. People are nice to each other, have a good laugh, throw a few back, and that’s it.” Chuck Biliski, a Wilmington resident, has been a patron for more than 35 years. A former city employee who lived in the 600 block of Union Street, Biliski first walked through the front door of what was then called Scotty’s for a New Year’s Eve party in 1971. ►

Mother’s Day! Sunday, May 8th Make Your Reservation Today! Every Mom Gets a Carnation!

Live Music

Every Saturday - 5-8pm On The Patio! 5/28- Ron Settle • 6/4-Colvin Fields • 6/11-Bob Stretch

302.376.0600 109 Main Street, Odessa, DE 19730 Mon: 11:30am-9pm • Tues - Thurs: 11:30am-10pm Fri-Sat:11:30am-11pm • Sun: 10am-9pm

www.cantwells-tavern.com MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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“There used to be bars up and down this side of Union, but most of them have gone away, but Fred’s still here because WILMINGTON'S WELCOMING people come to see him,” says Biliski, who has regularly WATERING HOLES brought his own grill and cooked complimentary hot dogs and continued from previous page burgers for customers over the years. “It’s a family, it really is. I hate to make the comparison to ‘Cheers,’ but if people know your name, they’ll yell it as soon as you walk through the door. That’s kinda cool, if you ask me.” Comegys and his brothers purchased the pub in July of 1988, mostly to serve as a public place where they would invite friends out for a drink, instead of having them over to their living rooms. “This has always been a neighborhood bar,” he says, “so we never had to get gimmicky with anything. I guess people appreciate that. I just appreciate our girls—Patty, Terry and Candace—who pretty much take care of everything around here and keep the ship running.” Part of the neighborhood vibe includes a Wednesday night shuffleboard league, Sunday cookouts when the Phillies or Eagles are playing, and block parties during holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day. Ryan says the crowds can be totally different from week to week, but there are always enough regulars to keep the place familiar and friendly. “There’s a reason I’ve been working here for 20-some years,” says Ryan. “Sure, I love spending time with my dad and all, but waiting on the people that come in here isn’t like most other jobs, or I would have left years ago. These people make work fun, and there really isn’t much more you can ask than that.”

plenty of room at the jackson inn One can hardly be blamed for passing the Jackson Inn on North DuPont Road and feeling a twinge of uncertainty about what goes on in the old bar. For starters, the sign in the back window that reads “Bates Motel: No Vacancy” is enough to scare off many passersby. But inside there’s a feeling of stepping into someone’s living room—with a bar attached. There’s a certain homey feel to it, another great jukebox that rivals the one at Comegys Pub, a ton of banners and quirky posters hanging on the walls and ceilings, and booths and tables with tabletop lamps from days of old.

Half-Price Drinks 11pm – Midnight Thursday through Saturday

Introducing

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302-654-9790 8thandUnion.com

Mon- Fri 4-7pm

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Brunch • 10am-2pm

801 N. Union St, Wilm • 302-654-9780 • 8thandUnion.com 74 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Owner Fred Bourdon, or “Freddy,” as he’s called by regulars, either tends bar or sits by the register and watches the regulars yuk it up. Though the sign out front says the place opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, it really depends on what time Bourdon feels like getting things going. One constant guests can rely on at the Inn is the bi-monthly reading series, Second Saturday Poets, which takes place from 5-7 p.m. on—when else?—the second Saturday of every month. Second Saturday typically features guest poets ranging from beginners to the state laureate to nationally published writers, followed by an open mic session. It’s that kind of quirky charm—blending the likes of Shakespeare’s sonnets with Budweiser’s bubbles—that keeps regulars like Mike Logothetis, a Newark native, coming back to “The J.I.,” as he calls it. Logothetis’ first trip to the Inn took place “sometime in the mid-2000s,” and he remembers being taken aback the moment he walked in the door. “It’s kinda funky in there, and I mean that in a good way,” says Logothetis. “I remember thinking the draft beer selection was better than I expected, and it was friendlier than I imagined it would be. I guess it looks a little dingy from the outside, but inside there is such a warm, welcoming vibe. It’s a real throwback to the bars of old.” Tanya Smith, a Wilmington resident who frequents the Inn, says the place is far enough removed from Trolley Square and Market Street that people can let their hair down. Upper class or middle class, businessperson or blue collar, they can all belly up with ease. “We went there on a random Friday night when (local band) The Cameltones were playing, and it was packed; everyone was goofing off and it was a real liquored-up crowd,” says Smith. “It’s where rich people go to act like idiots—I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” And if a “liquored-up idiot” should find that his cell phone has died while he was hanging out, making a call for a ride home isn’t a problem. What may be Wilmington’s last pay phone hangs on the wall, and it’s in working order. Heck, it’s the phone Bourdon answers if someone calls the Jackson Inn, day or night. By car, Mulrooney’s, Comegys and the Jackson Inn are easily accessible—only a total of two miles and about eight minutes separates the three establishments. But combined, they offer a long history of good times and laughs, a history of serving Wilmington’s drinkers responsibly and well for decades.

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WATCH

The Jungle Book

‘OOOH-BE-DOO, I WANT TO BE LIKE NEW’ Disney live-action remake finds resonance, beauty in Kipling tale By Mark Fields

et’s set aside for now the pressing question of just how cute Neel Sethi is as Mowgli, and I’ll put on my film professor hat for a moment. Many critics sniff at the very idea of film remakes as unimaginative and purely profit-driven. Some stories, however, are sturdy enough and some filmmakers are talented enough to take a familiar story (or a familiar film) and give it vibrant new life. Arguably, remakes of

True Grit, Casino Royale, Ocean’s Eleven, War of the Worlds, and The Fly were superior to their forebears. Even the venerated classic, The Maltese Falcon, was a craftier adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s story than the earlier and less memorable Satan Was a Lady. So remakes should not be automatically dismissed, as long as the filmmakers do something new and compelling with the narrative. ► MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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WATCH ‘OOOH-BE-DOO, I WANT TO BE LIKE NEW’ continued from previoius page

Enter Disney’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book, a new look at Rudyard Kipling’s classic story. Best known from the 1967 animated version, it has been told on film numerous times dating back to 1942, when it starred Indian novelty star Sabu as Mowgli. Yet many complained that Disney was trampling on tradition by attempting to re-do The Jungle Book. Though, if truth be told, the 1967 version is not top-tier animated Disney, despite the considerable charm of its two memorable songs, “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You.” Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef, Elf) has breathed new life into this tale of a man-cub finding his place within a forbidding, albeit lively jungle. Favreau and his production team create a world that is breathtakingly beautiful and vibrant, and the CGI-generated animals are incredibly realistic and magnetic, despite their unreal penchant for speaking and even at times singing. Better yet, these animals are voiced by a stellar array of actors, including Bill Murray (Baloo), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), King Louie (Christopher Walken) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o). And then there’s Neel Sethi, who plays young Mowgli. Beyond his adorable demeanor, Sethi captures the varied colors of Mowgli’s character: willful, feisty, resourceful, naïve. It is a captivating performance, which is good since he is in virtually every minute of the film. The Jungle Book shouldn’t work because of its amalgam of hyper-realism and fantasy, drama and comedy, peril and playfulness. But it does, resoundingly.

Mowgli and Bagheera, voiced by Ben Kingsley.

78 MAY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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