Out & About Magazine December 2008

82 . Nightlife

Dec  | O&A

80 . Nightlife

Dec  | O&A

A SPIRITED EVENING

NIGHTLIFE

Santa Crawl returns on Dec. 13

I

f you thought you’d run into a bunch of characters on the Halloween Loop, how about hundreds of Santas strolling the streets of Wilmington?

The third installment in the 2008-09 City Loop Series takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13 with the second annual Santa Crawl. Seventeen clubs throughout Wilmington

will take part in the costumed holiday bar crawl. Free shuttle service begins at 8 p.m.

Last year, several bus loads of Santas cruised the loop, but elves and reindeer were in abundance, too. A $5 cover charge gains you admission to all 17 clubs; however, show up wearing a Santa hat and you’ll get in free.

— For more, visit www.outandaboutdelaware.com

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79

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WINTER SEASON II January 6 - February 24 Volleyball Soccer (Gym) Basketball Broomball Bar games: Billiards / Shuffleboard / Darts You can sign up by visiting our website.

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Sponsored by Miller Lite & Grotto’s Pizza ( PA. Ave.) 1st State Sports Club: Giving you sports that you want to play!

We’ll see you out there!

78 . Nightlife

Dec  | O&A

DECEMBER Long Walk Home longwalk.net Dec. 28: North Star Bar, Philadelphia Mad-Sweet Pangs madsweetpangs.com Dec. 13: Deer Park Tavern, Newark Dec. 19: East End Café, Newark Dec. 20: Kelly’s Logan House, Wilm.

Midnight Java Dec. 6: Union Tavern, Wilmington Project C.J. Every Sunday: Del Rose Café, Wilmington Dec. 11: C.W. Harborside, Wilmington Dec. 17: Cunningham’s, Newark Dec. 31: Del Rose Café, Wilmington The Sky Drops myspace.com/theskydrops Dec. 6: Arden Gild Hall, Wilmington Stealing December stealingdecember.com Dec. 13: East End Café, Newark Dec. 17: The Trocadero, Philadelphia Kyle Swartzwelder myspace.com/kyleswartzwelder Dec. 9: The Dive Bar, Philadelphia Three Legged Fox myspace.com/threeleggedfox

DECEMBER 15

Singer/songwriter Bon Iver’s quiet For Emma, Forever Ago, recorded over three months in a secluded Wisconsin cabin, was an unexpected success this year. He plays the Troc in Philly.

Dec. 11: Kildare’s, Newark Dec. 19: Electric Factory, Philadelphia The Joe Trainor Trio myspace.com/joetrainor Dec. 19: Deep Blue, Wilmington Without Logic myspace.com/withoutlogicband Dec. 6: Bank Shots, Stanton Butch Zito myspace.com/butchzito Dec. 4: Bourbon Street Café, Claymont

The Deer Park Tavern THURSDAYS

December Live Music

4.............Kristen & The Noise 11......................Lost In Paris 18...........Kristen & The Noise 25..Closed - Merry Christmas!

WEDNESDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

3, 17........................................................................Showtime Trivia 10..............................................................................Burnt Sienna 24..........................................................................Closing at 8pm 31........................................New Year’s Eve party w/Hippocampus

SATURDAYS

Ange & Ris angeandris.com Dec. 5: Wilmington Art Loop Dec. 13: World Café Live, Philadelphia Dec. 17-18: Grand Opera House, Wilm.

Chris Bruni myspace.com/chrisbruni Dec. 5: Deep Blue, Wilmington Dec. 31: First Night, Wilmington Carla + Marty Every Tues: Kelly’s Logan House, Wilm.

Dec. 3: Tom Foolery’s, Middletown The Crash Motive thecrashmotive.com Dec. 5: Bubba’s, Dover Don Caballero myspace.com/doncaballeropgh Dec. 5: Mojo 13, Wilmington Nik Everett nikeverett.com Dec. 2: Blue Parrot, Wilmington Dec. 4: Cromwell’s Tavern, Greenville Ike ikeonline.net Dec. 26: World Café Live, Philadelphia Kitty Rotten Toys for Tots fundraiser Dec. 18: Mojo 13, Wilmington

MUSIC

6...........What Mamma Said 13...........Mad Sweet Pangs 20.... ......................HyJinx 27......................Crash Motive

Dec 4 Deer Park 1st Annual Semi-Formal Christmas Party with Kristen & The Noise no cover charge if you wear a Santa Hat!

EVERYDAY SPECIALS Tall Captain & Coke: $3 • 24 oz Bud Light Cans: $2.75 • Corona & Corona Light Bottles: $3 Irish Car Bombs: $5 • Red Bull Drink: $4 • Tall Johnny Love Vodka Drinks $3

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Every Monday / MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Every Tuesday / Jefe Every Thursday / Mug Night Every Friday / Awesome 80’s DJ Tom Travers Dance Party / NO COVER Every Sunday / CHORDUROY / NO COVER

77

MUSIC

Since its opening in September, the Note has hit the ground running, bringing in top rock acts, including the Eagles of Death Metal (above at right), who played the venue last month, and the Sword (currently on tour with Metallica) who play there on Jan. 16.

Hitting the Right Note New music venue brings big acts to little West Chester

A

fter an abrupt start, new West Chester music venue The Note is now up and running with a full roster of acts booked for the coming months, lines out the door, and a celebrity co-owner holding down the fort many nights of the week.

That celebrity—MTV’s self-abusing skater and local boy Bam Margera—is an investor in the endeavor and has given The Note a bit of Hollywood cache unusual for little ol’ West Chester.

But that celebrity clout didn’t put to rest concerns from borough officials who worried that with Margera would come rampant mayhem at worst and rude customers spilling into neighboring residential areas at the very least. When the state approved the venue’s liquor license on Sept. 12, a hastily planned Sept. 13 opening was arranged. Crowds have been steady ever since, says majority owner Don Moore.

www.out-and-about.com

By Scott Pruden

“The place was pretty much done construction-wise, and we were just waiting on the liquor license to open up,” he says.

That construction took a former commercial space and converted it into a temple of rock, with the original exposed brick teamed with a balcony and reclaimed items from churches as far away as New Orleans.

After the initial scramble for bookings, The Note is now full-speed ahead thanks to a partnership with ubiquitous concert promoter Live Nation and promotions through radio station WXPN and its progressive-format sister station Y-Rock on XPN. —The Note, located at 142 E. Market St. in West Chester, is open Monday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. For schedules and tickets, visit thenotewc.com.

75

MUSIC

Chris Tucker (front) was a singer/songwriter whose Brit rock-inspired bands included the Situation.

Photo by Tim Hawk

Latchkey Kid

Friend and promoter Andrew Miller remembers Christopher Tucker

I

owe a lot to Christopher Tucker. In 2004, at 28 years old, I had recently graduated from college with an English degree and had been working at the Grand Opera House for five years. I was restless, and I wanted more. While I searched for more fulfilling work, I spoke to various people for inspiration. I knew I wanted to get back to something more like Rainbow Records, where I had worked in my late teens and early 20s—something a little more exciting, something a little more rock ’n’ roll. One suggestion was to find a band to help out in hopes of learning that part of the business. I contacted two bands. One took me up on the offer—the Situation, fronted by Christopher Tucker.

I never really knew Chris that well. I went to high school with Larry Zapperterini (Situation bassist), and lived across the hall from him in college. It was then that I met Joe Castro (Situation guitarist) while he and Larry worked on tunes of another former Delaware favorite, Nero. I sat in on a couple of those rehearsals, listening, watching. As my college career took many twists and turns and I started working full-time, live music became my outlet, via $5 shows at the Barn Door and the occasional trip to Philadelphia. One such trip was for the Situation’s EP release party at the Ukrainian American Citizens Association Hall

www.out-and-about.com

in Northern Liberties. I’ll never forget the EPs in a vending machine—such a great idea.

When I started promoting shows in May 2005, the Situation was high on my list of bands to work with. Not because of the shows they played with bands like the Libertines, the Strokes, or Hot Hot Heat, but because of shows they played at the Barn Door, the DAP (Delaware Association of Police, on Lancaster Avenue in Wilmington), and UD. At the first show I did with Chris in December ’05, he played solo and thanked me for what I was trying to do for Delaware’s music scene. I then presented the Situation’s last Delaware show in April 2006 at the newly opened Mojo 13. I went on to promote a handful of shows for Chris solo, and then a few for his final project Orphan Family, including what was probably their most successful show with the Bird and the Bee to more than 200 people at the North Star Bar in the fall of 2007. The final show I did with Chris was this past June at the North Star, probably his last live performance. Only 12 people paid that night, and Chris performed solo. He told me before the show how hard he was working to get sober, how much he wanted to work with Joe Castro again, and how much he cared about me. continued on next page

73

Flirting with Fame, Pt. 3 — continued from previous page

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72 . Music

Of course, the biggest Delaware rock ’n’ roll success story is George Thorogood, who attended Brandywine High School and began his career with gigs at local night spots. For a while in the mid ’70s, he performed at a regular New Year’s Eve bash at Newark’s Deer Park Tavern. In 1978 he signed with Rounder Records, which immediately produced his first hit album, Move It on Over. In late 1979, MCA Records released an album of songs Thorogood recorded in 1974, entitled Better Than the Rest. In ’82, he recorded Bad to the Bone on EMI America. Superstardom soon followed.

By the mid ’70s, Snakegrinder spawned a couple of spin-offs. One was Amazing Space. Aiming to explore the reggae sound, the band included George Wolkind, Snakegrinder’s lead singer, along with John DiGiovanni, the band’s drummer, and new mates John Southard on piano and Dan Toomey on bass. At the time of Amazing Space’s formation, Bob and Rita Marley were avoiding a dangerous political situation in Jamaica and living in Wilmington. George Wolkind, who knew the Marleys, asked Rita to join Amazing Space. Rita agreed to join the band, but Bob vetoed the idea, which created an awkward position for him with Wolkind. “I was selling him all his pot,” Wolkind says.

Another Snakegrinder spin-off was Dick Uranus, which went into a more arty and punkish direction. The band was made up of Snakegrinder bassist Steve Roberts, keyboard player Dave Bennett, and newcomers Dana Smith, George Christie, Joe Pinzarone, and drummer Jim Ficca, whose brother Billy played drums for Television.

Dick Uranus’ most successful tune was “Vice Squad Dick,” which in 1994 was covered by J.G. Thirlwell, a post-punk music producer whose hardcore 1984 album Hole is considered a masterpiece. Recording under the name Foetus, Thirlwell not only recorded “Vice Squad Dick” for his 1994 album of the same name, but also the tune “Little Johnny Jewel,” penned by Tom Verlaine and previously recorded by Television.

Recently, Verlaine took on a good chunk of the music production for the latest Bob Dylan bio-pic, I’m Not There.

Delaware rockers continue to probe the soft underbelly of our national rock ’n’ roll paradigm. And in spite of the close calls, near-misses, and a few genuine success stories, the beat goes on.

Dec  | O&A

Flirting with Fame:

MUSIC

A History of Rock ’n’ Roll in Delaware

Part III – The ’70s brought more near-misses and Delaware’s lasting contribution to the world of rock: lonesome George Thorogood

By Steven Leech

A

Internal Calm, a band that included Johnny Neel, recorded “The Truth” on Wilmingtonian Vinnie Rago’s Richie label. Meanwhile, Tom Verlaine (inset), who attended McKean High School as Tom Miller, formed the influential band Television with friends Richard “Hell” Meyers (who went to Sanford) and Billy Ficca (an A.I. duPont alum) after the three of them moved to New York City.

number of local recording artists who made a national name for themselves in the 1970s and beyond actually learned their chops in the ’60s. One whose beginnings go back to the late 1950s was “Papa” Dee Allen. Papa Dee was originally a member of local jazz great Lem Winchester’s Modernist. After Winchester died prematurely in 1961, the Modernist tried to continue, but without their stellar frontman, they soon fell apart. Papa Dee continued for a while, performing at Wilmington’s early ’60s folk-music clubs and playing bongos and other percussion instruments.

When that proved fruitless, he gravitated to the West Coast and joined the rock fusion band War. He remained with them and was the percussionist on all their recordings, including those with ex-Animals singer Eric Burdon.

Another local artist to find national success was Johnny Neel, who cut his first records in Wilmington on Vinnie Rago’s Richie label in 1966 with his band, Internal Calm. Two of his earliest recordings, “The Truth” and “Where Will We Go from Here?,” were co-written with Rago. After his initial local success, Neel became a bit of a journeyman artist, which took him to recording sessions with a number of stars like John Mayall, Irma Thomas, Ann Peebles, Marie Osmond, and the Oak Ridge Boys. From 1989 to 1990 he cut an album and toured with the Allman Brothers Band, co-writing their 1990 hit “Good Clean Fun.” He also wrote the hit “Rock Bottom” for Allman Brothers band member Dickie Betts.

A major contribution to national rock history in the mid-to-late 1970s came from a number of youngsters who attended local high schools in the late ’60s. One was Richard Meyers, who went to Sanford Academy, another was Tom Miller, who attended McKean High School, and a third was Billy Ficca, who went to A.I. duPont. Richard Meyers, who renamed himself Richard Hell; Tom Miller, who renamed himself Tom Verlaine; and Billy Ficca took off to New York City and became pioneers in the New York punk-rock scene. Performing at CBGBs in lower Manhattan with the Ramones, Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Patti Smith, their band Television helped forge a new genre of American rock ’n’ roll music. Other punk bands with which the three would perform were the Neon Boys and the Voidoids. Richard Hell also appeared in motion pictures, most notably Desperately Seeking Susan, which starred Madonna. continued on next page

www.out-and-about.com

71

Ring Any Bells? —

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continued from previous page

Richard Nixon as president in 1974, British talk-show host and entertainer David Frost had the unlikely (and perhaps dubious) fortune of landing the first extensive TV interview with the disgraced chief executive.

Both men saw their dialogue as an opportunity to regain the public spotlight they had once experienced and lost, but the two also had other motives that put them into conflict. Nixon and his defenders saw the occasion as an opportunity to tell his side of the Watergate cover-up story. Frost and his associates sought the public reckoning that had been sidestepped by Nixon’s resignation and subsequent pardon. The result is an emotionally charged battle of wits and wills between two men fighting for personal redemption.

Michael Sheen and Frank Langella play Frost and Nixon respectively, having originated the roles in stage productions in London and New York.

Both actors have clearly absorbed these characters, and their performances are finely nuanced. I found myself surprised to discover Nixon’s humanity, albeit deeply flawed; I had always understood the man primarily as a cardboard villain. Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, and Matthew Macfayden all impress in supporting roles.

Although director Ron Howard introduces a variety of locales, from planes to hotels to San Clemente, he keeps the focus and momentum of the film on the dramatic, intimate clash of these two personalities. Their interaction and dueling ambitions make for an engaging and intense film.

In these limbo days between the sunset of one Washington administration and the dawn of another, Milk and Frost/Nixon have a timely resonance.

Who would expect that two political tales from 30 years ago could speak so profoundly to us today? History does, indeed, repeat itself.

Milk: Frost/Nixon

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68 . Movies

Dec  | O&A

IXON FROST/N

MOVIES

Ring Any Bells?

By Mark Fields

Two moving political biographies offer resonance, relevance

A

grassroots community organizer with an affinity for the outcast achieves political success with his message of hope and inclusion. A marginalized president, noted for his secretive accumulation of executive power, seeks to redeem his legacy in the twilight of a checkered career.

These stories, which evoke current headlines, are the subject of two new film biographies of political figures from the 1970s. While the films demonstrate that political history can make for entertaining and thoughtful moviemaking, they also serve to humanize public figures that have, over the years, become mostly caricatures.

Milk charts the political and personal journey of Harvey Milk,

a San Francisco businessman and activist who became the first openly gay elected official in the United States. As directed by Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, Elephant), the film is also a poignant documentary of another period in American history when the disenfranchised struggled for basic human rights, made more vivid by the use of archival news footage from the time.

The strength of the film, though, is in the performances.

Sean Penn mesmerizes as Milk, deftly balancing the disparate aspects of the man’s persona. Despite a compelling and attractive public personality that attracted a motley band of assistants and friends, Milk was, at his core, a lonely and insecure outsider. James Franco and Diego

Luna sensitively play his two longtime romantic partners, each fighting to find a place in Harvey’s life.

Josh Brolin again displays his trademark unsettling intensity as Dan White, a fellow supervisor who eventually assassinates Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.

White is depicted as a tightly wrapped (and perhaps closeted) moralist whose ambitions are inadvertently thwarted

by Milk. Brolin’s performance captures a seething undercurrent in White’s character from the outset so that we are not surprised by what seemed to be an incomprehensible act of retribution.

Frost/Nixon mines roughly the same historical period for another slice of political theater. After the unprecedented resignation of continued on next page

www.out-and-about.com

67

66 . Movies

Dec  | O&A

•DSL AT THE BEACH COMES TO LIFE!!! WELCOME YOU GUYS! •Newbie ANDREW HICKEY has been hiding a cannon….I got news for you Andrew…it’s a secret no longer!

•DSL HAC has a strong showing. Do I sense a Friendly Challenge Match with Wilmo in the future?

•Congratulations to DAVE & JENNA HALEY as well as JOSH & BRITTANY GREENBERG on the new editions to your family!

•Down at DSL at the Beach we say HAMMERHEADS take their name seriously when they scrimmaged each other •A Star is Born at The Beach: KENDRA BERNARD has emerged as an All Star in Kickball & Dodgeball…Keep that smile on your face Kendra…I LOVE IT •JIM PAOLI and his MONDAY MORNING BLUES take a commanding lead in the HAC Dodgeball League!

•We celebrated the Phillies World Series win with taking more than 80 people up to the parade! Thanks to JIM MILLER, AMY GARRAHAN AND ANGELA MARINI for all their help!!

•MAURA SCHULTZ does complete splits to dodge the balls in Dodgeball -no lie she looks like “Trinity” out there!

•RENEE GRIFFITH has definitely emerged as Queen of Bowling, while MIKE HENNING is having a big season this year!

•THANK YOU DSL MEMBERS for participating in the first ever “DSL SEASON OF GIVING” this year! This month is Toys For Tots!

•KEITH WHITE, DSL Member and “Go to Guy at The Beach” has done an AMAZING job with helping out down there. It could not have been done without him!

• Speaking of the Beach, how about the skills of AMY WYATT out there on the Dodgeball court?

• NAT MEASLEY has emerged as not only one of the most fun players in the league, but one of the most formidable…at least he is in the write-ups a lot…

• TAMSEN WILLIAMS and JULIA ANTONELLI are apparently FIVE-OHHS secret weapons, watch out for them!

Upcoming Events & Outings:

DECEMBER: • Santa Crawl (Dec. 13th) •Happy Holiday’s Everyone!

•DSL Bowling Wrap & Holiday Happy Hour (Any DSL Member can come though) A LOOK AHEAD TO JANUARY 2009: •Hap y New Year! • First Annual Ski Trip •Happ Win er Bowling Starts Jan. 5th • Wint Wil ington Dodgeball Season II Starts Jan. 6th Wilm Professional Networking Group Launches Learn earn more about DSL Events & Outings on the web. Only DSL Members can attend SL E DSL Events & Outings. Each member gets one guest at DSL events and outings.

If you know a member, ask them to be their guest!

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Aftermath — continued from previous page

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62 . Short Story

“He’s entered the birth canal,” said Dr. Roseman as she struggled to free the child. “He should be here soon.”

But the alarm kept sounding, and Kathleen could feel extended pressure in the birth canal despite the relief provided by the epidural.

“Please,” she gasped. “I feel like I’m going to explode.”

The room was quiet as the doctor worked. She asked for forceps and put in a call to the pediatrician. When the child was delivered a few minutes later, the umbilical cord was knotted around its neck. The child was dead.

“I’m sorry, Kathleen. There was nothing we could do.”

Kathleen lay on the table sobbing as the pediatrician examined the tiny body. “Do you want to hold him?” the doctor asked her. “Do you want to see what he looks like?”

Kathleen nodded and held out her arms for the small baby wrapped in a blue receiving blanket. She nestled him against her breasts, knowing that he would never benefit from the milk waiting there to nourish him.

She whispered in his ear, told him his name, said that she would love him forever. She examined his features, one by one, cataloging them in her mind so she would never forget, then handed him back to the doctor, who took him to the morgue. ** She was saying her rosary when Dennis arrived, demanding to see his son.

“He’s dead,” she said, raising her eyes to his face. “He was born too soon.”

“It’s your fault,” roared Dennis.

“You murdered his brother or sister.

Don’t bother to come home, Kathleen.

I’m through.”

She watched him leave. Sighing, she rubbed the inside of her wrists with the metal crucifix attached to the rosary.

The veins rose quickly to the surface.

She’d always had accessible veins. She wondered how long it would take to bleed to death.

Dec  | O&A

“The tissue will re-absorb,” Dr. Roseman reminded her in the recovery room. “You shouldn’t worry that this will hurt you.”

She nodded, still under the effects of the sedation. “Is my husband here?” she whispered. “I need to talk to him.”

“I haven’t seen him, Kathleen,” she said, “but I’ve called your home and left a message. Your mother’s here, though. She’ll take you home when you’re ready to be discharged.” ** They didn’t talk for weeks. Dennis came and went as though he were a boarder in his own home. He left the household money on the kitchen table, ate the meals she prepared, and slept on his side of the bed, but ignored her as if she didn’t exist.

Her abdomen grew larger and the baby began to move. How Kathleen rejoiced with this first sign of life!

Weeks passed. She had an ultrasound and was told the baby was a boy who looked perfectly normal. She rushed home to tell Dennis and saw him smile for the first time in months.

Her pains began early in the morning, light cramps running across her back. Before long, they had traveled to her abdomen and hurt like a knife turning in her gut. She called the doctor, her voice quaking with fear. “It’s too soon,” she gasped. “Only 26 weeks.

What should I do?”

“Come to the hospital immediately.

Get here as fast as you can.”

She called Dennis but couldn’t reach him. Frantic, she called her mother, who took her to the emergency room. By the time she reached OBGYN, the pains were coming in rapid succession.

“There’s no stopping it,” said Dr. Roseman. “We’ve got to deliver this child.”

The labor was intense, the pains stabbing and sharp. She struggled to follow the doctor’s instructions, working with the midwife to ease her labor. The baby was being monitored, and her labor seemed to be progressing when the fetal alarm sounded.

“What’s wrong?” she cried. “Is there anything wrong with the baby?” continued on next page www.out-and-about.com

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60 . Short Story

Aftermath — continued from previous page

“Be careful and get plenty of rest,” Dr. Roseman cautioned. “This is a risky business. We can’t take any chances.”

And she had been careful, doing everything the doctor told her, her abdomen swelling with the greatly anticipated twins. What a shock it had been to hear that she would never carry them to term without sacrificing one to save the other.

The doctor had explained it carefully to Dennis, knowing that with his strict Catholic heritage, eliminating one of the children would be a difficult decision.

“I won’t consent,” Dennis said, pacing back and forth in the exam room. “No way.”

“Then they’ll both die,” said Dr. Roseman matter-of-factly. “And I doubt you’ll get another chance. Is that what you want?”

“I want this to be over. I don’t want to choose.”

“We’ll take the weaker of the two,” said the doctor. “To give you the best chance for a healthy child.”

Dennis looked at his crying wife and the sober doctor. “Whatever she wants,” he said with a tightened jaw.

“This was her decision, not mine. But if anything happens to that other baby, I’m not going through this again. Do you understand, Kathleen? This is it for me.”

She nodded, holding out her arms to hug him. “Thank you, Den…” But he turned and left the exam room before she could finish, closing the door behind him with a loud slam.

Dr. Roseman looked at her with sympathy. “He’ll come around, Kathleen. It’s hard on the fathers sometimes. I’ll see you in the hospital tomorrow.”

The next morning she made her way to the hospital alone, where she was prepped, draped, and anesthesized.

A needle was inserted into her womb and potassium chloride was injected into the smaller embryo, stopping its rapid heartbeat.

Dec  | O&A

mother-in-law began criticizing her for her barrenness. There was no reason, she whined to Kathleen, that a healthy young woman would have trouble getting pregnant. “It must be your fault,” she would hiss into Kathleen’s face as they washed the Sunday dinner dishes.

“Something you’re being punished for.

Other men, perhaps. Why else would God deny us a child?”

“I’ve never been unfaithful,” Kathleen protested to Dennis later.

“How dare you allow her to accuse me of adultery!” Under pressure to stop his mother’s vicious attacks, he agreed to see a fertility expert. How humiliated he had been when told that he had a low sperm count and it was doubtful that Kathleen would ever conceive in a normal way. “You’re crazy,” he’d snarled at the doctor. “I’m not the problem.

There’s the problem,” and he’d pointed to Kathleen before stomping out of the doctor’s office. Later, he’d refused to discuss it, turning away from her pleas and ignoring her for weeks on end.

She had grieved over her childlessness in silence for years, but now she felt desperate, knowing that her chances of having a child were slipping away.

“You can’t be selfish, Kathleen,” cautioned her mother. “Adopt. There are so many children who need good homes.” But her warning had fallen on deaf ears.

The months went by, and Kathleen’s 43rd birthday approached. She began to panic. She scoured the internet for genetic experts and visited doctor after doctor, finally discovering one who was willing to try in vitro fertilization.

“It won’t be easy,” Dr. Roseman told her. “But it’s a chance, with a viable surrogate mother.”

“But that’s not what I want,” said Kathleen. “I want to bear the child myself.”

“It’s a gamble that most likely will fail,” Dr. Roseman responded, showing Kathleen the medical statistics.

After weeks of counseling and Dennis’ reluctant participation, they underwent in vitro fertilization and successfully implanted two embryos in Kathleen’s uterus. continued on next page www.out-and-about.com

59

Aftermath — continued from previous page

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altar, just as she had stood when she’d married Dennis 21 years earlier. Lateafternoon sunlight streamed through the tall stained-glass windows that marked the Stations of the Cross, mottling her face with streaks of indigo, ruby, and emerald before continuing their dance across the rich scarlet carpeting covering the floor. A huge golden crucifix loomed far above her head from its place on top of the altar.

She glanced at it and shivered. While she knew that God’s son had died for her sins, she’d always found the metal sculpture cold and intimidating.

Kathleen reached out and brushed her hand against the altar’s smooth surface while her eyes searched for the diminutive figure of the Blessed Virgin perched in a tiny niche off to the side. She looked at the Virgin’s sweetly resigned face and knelt before the statue to pray.

“Blessed Mother,” she murmured.

“Surely you understand. Grant me your forgiveness for what I have done, for I will never be able to forgive myself.

In the name of your son, who died giving us life.” She began her penance, repeating the ancient phrases under her breath. An hour later, stiff and sore, she rose to light a candle in memory of her lost child. She watched the small, bright flame quivering in its glass dish, then turned to genuflect in front of the golden cross before walking to the back of the sanctuary and anointing herself with holy water.

“Please, Father,” she whispered.

“Please give me this child for my own.”

A fierce winter wind howled through the streets of Boston as she left the church. She pulled her collar up around her neck and buried her hands deep in her pockets as she raced to get home and have dinner on the table before Dennis arrived. Memories of the hospital crowded into her mind.

Don’t think about it, she thought. It’s over. You’ll have your baby soon. ** When she didn’t conceive within the first five years of marriage, her

58 . Short Story

Dec  | O&A

Short Story

Aftermath

By Barbara Gray

F

orgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been three months since my last confession.”

Kathleen sat on the edge of the hard wooden bench, her work-worn fingers playing with the beads of her rosary as she listened to the priest’s even breathing behind the black tapestry curtain.

“And your sins, my child?”

“I spoke sharply to my mother. I criticized my husband.” She hesitated. “And I had a forbidden medical procedure to save the life of my unborn child.”

The silence reverberated through the small chamber as the muscles in Kathleen’s throat clenched, strangling her vocal cords like a thick rope wound around her neck.

“I had to do it, Father.” She choked over the words.

“If I hadn’t, my child would have died.”

“I thought you were expecting twins, Kathleen.”

“I was, Father,” she whispered, as her eyes filled with tears. “But the doctor said I was too small and wouldn’t carry them to term. If I didn’t reduce the number of babies, neither would live.”

“The laws of the Church are clear, Kathleen. One life cannot be sacrificed to save the other. Doing so is a mortal sin.”

“I know, Father.” She was crying now, the harsh sobs crowding into the back of her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. “There was no choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“But I would have lost them both,” she cried. “I’m 42 years old. This is my only chance to be a mother.”

Silence.

“Surely God will understand,” she pleaded, reaching out to clutch the edge of the curtain as if to draw comfort from the priest’s nearness, but the heavy material was stiff and unyielding under her fingers.

“One rosary as a penance and a prayer to Mary to save your soul. Go and sin no more.”

Kathleen heard rustling behind the curtain, followed by the fading sounds of footsteps crossing the marble floor. The priest had left the confessional.

She dried her tears on one of Dennis’ old cotton handkerchiefs and took a moment to compose herself before entering the sanctuary.

The church was empty. Kathleen slipped between the polished wooden pews, an unpretentious figure in a dark woolen coat and flat shoes. Her worn leather prayer book was clutched between her hands and her rosary dangled from her fingers. She walked down the center aisle to stand in front of the massive marble continued on next page

www.out-and-about.com

57

FOOD&DRINK

At the Corner of Food and Success

S

ome 300 industry members came out for this year’s Cornerstone Awards, held Monday, Nov. 3 at Dover Downs.

This year’s celebration honored Betsy LeRoy, owner of Pizza by Elizabeths in Greenville as the Delaware Restaurant Association Restaurateur of the Year. Heartland Payment Systems was named Allied Member of the Year.

The DRA also presented the prestigious Cornerstone

Award to Susan and Robert Wood of the Cultured Pearl Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. The event benefits the DRA’s scholarship program, which presents a scholarship award each year to a student from the University of Delaware’s HRIM program.

Pictured above are: (L to R) Van Thongvong, Kham Thongvong, Betsy LeRoy, Betty Snyder, Jackie Sheppard, Gabriela Nunez, and Amporn Vasquez.

Going Green at McGlynns

M

cGlynns Pub and Restaurant, which already has locations in Pike Creek and Newark, recently added Dover to the list. The new restaurant is located in Compass Pointe on the site of the former Blue Coat Inn on Silver Lake. The new digs boast 16 widescreen TVs and a private dining room available for parties of 20 to 40 guests.

Owner Bob Ashby, pictured at left, is proud of the environmentally friendly upgrades that have been incorporated in the building, which include tankless hot-water heaters and low-temp dish machines. Take-out containers made from recycled products and compact fluorescent bulbs are also used.

www.out-and-about.com

55

54 . In Wilmington

Dec  | O&A

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4. Margie Morton.

5. Bernie & Greg Scheck.

Photos by Joe del Tufo

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Amtrak Station Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park Residences at Christina Landing Harry’s Seafood Grill Riverfront Market Delaware Theatre Company C.W. Harborside Justison Landing Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts Joe’s Crab Shack Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Frawley Stadium & Delaware Sports Hall of Fame Chase Center on the Riverfront Dravo Plaza & Dock Shipyard Shops Timothy’s Restaurant Molly’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Wilmington Rowing Center Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge Wilmington Youth Rowing Assoc.

Cosi @ the Barclays Crescent Building ThoroBreads at Christina Landing Opera Delaware Studios/ City Theater Co. Hare Pavilion/Riverwalk Public Docks AAA Mid-Atlantic

THIS MONTH ON THE RIVERFRONT 5

DEC 3-21 P I C A S S O AT T H E L A P I N A G I L E Delaware Theatre Company Various times

12

DEC 4

YMCA BL ACK ACHIEVERS AWARDS Chase Center Keynote Speaker: Spike Lee

12

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Dec  | O&A

on the riverfront Y O U R G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G AT R I V E R F R O N T W I L M I N G T O N

Some Kind of Genius Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, playing this month at the Delaware Theatre Company, is a fictional debate between two of history’s greatest minds

R

emember, as a kid, the thrill of seeing your favorite superheroes in the same comic book or cartoon? Think of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, playing at the Delaware Theatre Company this month from Dec. 3-21, as the intellectual version of those events.

In the play, Albert Einstein, the brilliant mathematician, and Pablo Picasso, the brilliant painter, meet in 1904 Paris, in a bar called the Lapin Agile. Einstein is there waiting for his lady friend, but when he strikes up a conversation with Picasso, the two soon become embroiled in a debate about the idea of genius—its value and its relationship to actual talent.

It’s important to keep in mind the date, 1904, in which the play takes place: A year later, Einstein published his theory of relativity, which included the formula, E=MC², that offers a relationship between mass and energy. In 1907, Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, a stark exploration of sex as art that inspired the Cubism movement. The meeting that provides the focus of Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a fictional precursor, then, to the world-changing ideas that would soon follow.

Rounding out the geniuses is another historical figure, one not nearly as bright but a lot more wealthy: Elvis. The addition of Presley, the website Carpentersquare.com writes, “adds a third major influence of the century.”

Lapin Agile was written by Steve Martin in 1993. It’s easy to see where he got the idea for a play that features an intellectual, an artist, and an entertainer. Martin, known on one hand for his New Yorker contributions and on the other as the guy who shared a bed with John Candy in Planes, Trains & Automobiles, has been balancing those roles his whole career.

For tickets or more info, visit delawaretheatre.org.

www.out-and-about.com

49

presents

Fire & Ice in Rodney Square

Plus

Tuesday, December 2 4–6 pm Free open skate on the Ice rink 6 pm Festivities Begin Santa Claus s Stockings for children Artisans s Hot chocolate s Hot dogs Holiday Dancers s Ice Skating Performances

For more info: inwilmingtonde.us *Mayor Baker asks you to bring a canned good for the Salvation Army

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 4-10 pm, Rodney Square Admission buttons available at all New Castle County Happy Harry's Locations.

1 for $7 and 2 for $10

Children under 12 admitted Free

Highlights: Opening Ceremonies, sponsored by Verizon Wilmington In Focus Photo Exhibition, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase and Astra Zeneca Main Tent Big Band Music and Ballroom Dancing, sponsored by Wilmington Trust Youth Entertainment Tent, sponsored by Bank of America First Night Artificial Skating Rink, sponsored by DuPont Fireworks Finale, sponsored by Delmarva

For more information, visit delawareonline.com/firstnight

in THE NEW

S

DCAD Unveils New Student Center The Delaware College of Art & Design is scheduled to open its brand-new on-campus student center this month. Dubbed the Tatiana Copeland Student Center, after the generosity of arts supporter Tatiana Copeland, the $400,000-plus center is located on the first floor of the Saville Apartments at 521 King St. Included in the 3,200square-foot space is a lounge, food and drink service, fitness equipment, a game room, a bookstore, and an artsupply counter.

Lapp’s Kitchen owner Chuck Parkhill (left) meets with John Rago, Mayor Baker’s communications and policy director, at the restaurant’s ribbon-cutting on King Street on Nov. 7.

City Celebrates the Holidays with Family Fun The city gears up for the holidays this year with the return of two traditions: Caroling in the Square will be held in Rodney Square on Tuesday, Dec. 2 with free open skating on the ice rink from 4 to 6 p.m. The rest of the festivities begin at 6 p.m. The evening will include a caroling sing-a-long, tree lighting, and stocking giveaways. The event serves as a collection point for Mayor Baker’s “Pack the Pantries” food drive. Bring a nonperishable food item as a donation.

First Night Wilmington will fill Rodney Square and beyond on New Year’s Eve with the theme “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” Don’t miss the dancing, music, and family activities as downtown rings in 2009.

Trolley Square Acme Scheduled for a Makeover A remodeling is in store for the Trolley Square Acme, according to the city’s Office of Economic Development.

While no deal is yet in place, Supervalu Acme, the store’s corporate parent, plans to invest $3.5 million in the upgrade, which will include interior and exterior improvements. The city will invest in right-of-way improvements along the Dupont Street sidewalk and, if approved by Acme, install stormwater controls in the parking lot to avoid flooding.

“The goal of the project,” Jeff Flynn, OED’s deputy director, says, is to modernize and reposition the store for the next 10 years.”

Lapp’s Finds New Home on King Street After eight years in operation at the Riverfront Market, Lapp’s Kitchen has moved to 901 N. King St.—the site formerly occupied by Corner Market. The larger, 3,200-square-foot space has enabled Lapp’s to extend its hours of operation (Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.) as well as his menu offerings and corporate catering services.

Leaves and Yard Waste Added to List of Recyclables The city has expanded its curbside recycling program to include leaves and yard waste, which will be taken to a composting site on E. 12th St. and used to produce mulch. The leaves and waste must be placed in collection bags, available free at the City Municipal Complex (500 Wilmington Ave.) and at any of the city’s eight Community Tool Shed locations. For more, call 420-8266. in 47

in GTON

WILMIN

Dear Friends, This is indeed a holiday season like no other. While I don’t profess to know what the future will bring, this much is certain: There will be tough times ahead as we work through the challenges facing our economy. But it’s times like these that the true meaning of the holiday season shines brighter than ever.

One easy way you can show your holiday spirit is to donate canned goods and other non-perishable food items to local food banks. You can start by bringing your donations to the annual Caroling on the Square community sing-along on Tuesday, Dec. 2, beginning at 4 p.m. While you’re there, enjoy skating on the First Night Ice Rink, cozy up with a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy an evening of caroling, special performances, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

There are literally dozens of other holiday activities in the City of Wilmington to help fill you with the holiday spirit. Many of the organizations sponsoring these activities will also be conducting food and toy drives.

Of course, you can always contact Wilmington’s Office of Constituent Services at 576-2489 for information on how you can make a difference in your fellow citizens’ lives during the holiday season.

Whatever challenges the future brings, remember that together we can weather any storm. We are “in this together.”

Sincerely,

James M. Baker Mayor

Doing the Right Thing —

continued from previous page

outspoken and provocative socio-political critiques that challenge cultural assumptions, not only about race, but also class and gender identity,” as a recent press release puts it.

Born in Atlanta, Ga. and raised in Brooklyn, Lee revisited the South when he went away to college at Morehouse. After graduating, he returned to New York to study film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan. He made his debut film, She’s Gotta Have It, in 1986, and has released a feature-length film every one or two years since. Before St. Anna, Lee directed Inside Man, in 2006, which “marked an upturn in his fortunes,” according to Colapinto’s profile. Made on a $45 million budget, it grossed $176 million worldwide, Lee’s best-ever showing at the box office.

Lee is this year’s keynote speaker at the YMCA Black Achievers in Business and Industry Awards at the Chase Center on Dec. 4, marking at least the third year in a row someone from the film industry has made an appearance at the ceremony (following Terrence Howard last year and Louis Gossett Jr. in 2006).

Lee was chosen, in the words of Willie C. Martin, chair of the Black Achievers, because he’s a “creative icon who can deliver an enriching message to these youths, the leaders of the future.”

The Black Achievers fundraiser supports the Walnut Street YMCA program of the same name aimed to enhance the academic, personal, career, and leadership development of youth and teens. The program provides college-readiness experiences and exposure to community business environments, punctuated by a spring tour of college campuses. Last year, almost 30 youths visited nine colleges.

Says Martin: “We’re committed to continually providing developmental opportunities to [youth and teens] with the support of all aspects of the community.” Communities, no doubt, Spike Lee knows plenty about.

In Wilmington is a monthly supplement to Out & About Magazine made possible by the City of Wilmington Economic Development Office.

If you have an item that may be of interest to our readers, contact: TSN Publishing, Inc., 307 A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 (302) 655-6483 Fax: (302) 654-0569 contact@tsnpub.com 46 . In Wilmington

in Dec  | O&A

in WILMIN

GTON

Doing the Right Thing Spike Lee is a welcome addition as keynote speaker at this year’s YMCA Black Achievers Awards

T

here was a time when Spike Lee was the youthful, stone-faced, Brooklyn hat-wearing geek starring opposite Michael Jordan in Nike commercials.

Then came Do the Right Thing, in 1989. Set on a scorchinghot summer day in the diverse Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, Do the Right Thing explored race relations like few movies before or since. The film culminates in a riot when the character of Mookie, played

by Lee, throws a garbage can through the storefront window of the Italian-owned pizza shop where he works. The scene— made further complicated by the inclusion of two conflicting quotes at the end of the film, one by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the other by Malcolm X—has been picked apart by critics trying to figure out Lee’s angle. It also helped transform Lee from being a “black Woody Allen”— to quote a recent New Yorker profile by John Colapinto—to a serious filmmaker.

But had Lee never made Do the Right Thing, which received Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and for Danny Aiello as Best Supporting Actor, it’s likely he would’ve earned that title soon www.out-and-about.com

SPIKE LEE

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

Mo’ Better Blues (1990) Malcolm X (1992) Crooklyn (1994) 4 Little Girls (1997) Summer of Sam (1999) The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) Bamboozled (2000) 25th Hour (2002) Inside Man (2006) When the Levees Broke (2006)

enough. Following Do the Right Thing, Lee made several more films that became synonymous with the African-American experience: Mo’ Better Blues, in 1990, which examined the personal and artistic struggles of black jazz performers; Jungle Fever, in 1991, about interracial dating; Malcolm X, in 1992, a look at the activist’s life, based on his autobiography; Get on the Bus, from 1996, about a group of black men taking a crosscountry bus trip to the Million Man March; 4 Little Girls, in 1997, a documentary about the 1963 Alabama church bombing carried out by the KKK; He Got Game, from 1998, about the relationship between a high school basketball standout and his imprisoned father; Bamboozled (2000), which imagines a modern minstrelstyle TV show; the 2006 documentary When the Levees Broke, a masterfully thorough exploration of the fallout from Hurricane Katrina; and the recent Miracle at St. Anna, about the U.S. Army’s allblack 92nd Division in WWII. Other films, like Clockers (1995), Girl 6 (1996), and She Hate Me (2004) display Lee’s ability “to showcase a series of continued on next page

45

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40 . Sports & Health

The 12-Month Season — continued from previous page

some wish that they could have the life of a normal student.”

Despite the demands placed on their schedule, there is at least one component of an athlete’s life that separates him or her from the normal college student: the chance to succeed on a public stage.

“I realize that my time here at Delaware State is given over to a lot of structure and accountability,” Purnsley says. “I’m here for two reasons, not just one, and because of that, I’m always living in the reality of trying to be the best I can be. The payoff is that I live out my passion for football, and I get to play in a stadium on a Saturday afternoon.”

DAMIEN CRAIGHTON NEVER BECAME a national champion. He won 100 matches in his college career and placed third in the East Coast Wrestling Association as a sophomore, which qualified him for the NCAA national tournament. In his junior year, he again qualified for the NCAA tournament—one of only 32 wrestlers in his weight class to do so—and lost by decision to the eventual national champion. He graduated from Drexel in 2001 and now works as a reporting analyst in the healthcare industry. He lives in Smyrna with his wife and two children. His 6-year-old son Dylan wrestles in the 55-lb. weight class for the Eagles of the Smyrna Little Wrestlers League. Craighton does not coach his son, preferring to watch from the sidelines with his wife. He understands that in a dozen years, if Dylan continues to wrestle, he too may dream of becoming a national champion.

“I know about the commitment and dedication needed to compete on the college level, and I’ll share it with him if the time comes,” Craighton says. “Dylan’s future in athletics will eventually be about what he wants for himself.”

Dec  | O&A

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person in charge of NCAA compliance, and one in charge of academic counseling for athletes. Chuck Carrender, the school’s associate athletics director of student services, now supervises a staff of five that oversees the athletes’ orientation classes, tutorial services, classes in time-management skills, as well as mandatory study halls for any student-athlete carrying less than a 3.0 GPA. The department also acts as a liaison to the university provost and faculty. Although Delaware State’s student-athlete graduation rate of 46 percent still lags far behind the national average, Carrender says the rate has steadily improved in recent years, due mainly to the university’s commitment to providing more personal attention to its athletes.

Carrender spent 23 years as a football coach at the University of Missouri, Drake University, and for many years at the community college level. During those years, he says, some of the athletic departments he was associated with did not address athletes’ needs off the playing field. “At the end of their time, the school patted them on the back and said thank you,” he says. “There was very little in the way of giving much attention to what their future held after their playing days were over.”

Now, he says, “Our specific goal is to see each student graduate. Getting that student on that podium on a Sunday afternoon takes a concerted effort between the student, our department, the faculty, and the deans.”

At the University of Delaware, student-athletes have a graduation rate of 87 percent—eight points above the national average. This is due in part to a number of new programs. Freshmen can participate in the HENS (Helping Each Newcomer Succeed) peer-mentoring program, which assigns upper-class student-athletes as mentors to first-year athletes in both individual and group settings. In addition, UD’s CHAMPS/Life Skills program oversees the development of participating athletes in five areas: academic, athletic, career development, personal development, and community service.

UD Student Services for Athletes director Tim Morrissey teaches a mandatory two-credit seminar for all 150 freshman athletes. It covers time management, study and test-taking skills, career development, nutrition, and wellness. The seminar also includes a workshop in psychological skill training that requires students to keep journals, shared only with their instructor, in which they describe their adjustment to college life.

“It’s amazing how much the journal content allows us to get to know what goes on in the life of a student-athlete,” Morrissey says. “So many athletes on the college level are identified only by their athletic ability, and these journals show the person, not just the athlete. Some write that they are homesick. Some reveal that they’re struggling academically. Some were a star in high school and are writing about playing on the second string in college, and continued on next page

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Damien Craighton and his 6-year-old son Dylan at the William Penn wrestling room in New Castle. Craighton won four state titles for William Penn, from 1993 to 1996, a feat accomplished by just six other wrestlers in Delaware. “I know about the commitment and dedication needed to compete on the college level,” Craighton says, “and I’ll share it with Dylan if the time comes.”

The 12-Month Season — continued from previous page

Purnsley, a sophomore offensive lineman, visits strength-andconditioning coach Tredell Dorsey’s training facility for three 90-minute sessions a week. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, beginning at 7:30, Purnsley does a combination of squat thrusts, hanging crunches, and split jerk lifts. On Sunday mornings, the day after a game, he finishes his week with the bench press, squat thrusts, a lower-body workout with sprints, and work with a medicine ball. These sessions are in addition, of course, to daily practices during the season. After the school year ends next May, Purnsley will remain on the Dover campus, training four days a week, until football practice begins next August.

“By the time Sunday comes, I feel sore and I’m tired, but I can’t think 38 . Sports & Health

about it, because it will de-motivate me,” he says. “I have to keep my eye on the goal, which is to excel.”

Purnsley is determined to succeed on the field and in the classroom.

He was an honor student at Wilmington’s Howard High, and the 2.5 grade-point average he’s carrying as an accounting major is not up to his usual standards. To compensate, he attends a two-hour mandatory study hall four days a week—sessions that have been developed for athletes

by Delaware State’s department of student services.

Purnsley is not alone.

Thousands of athletes at colleges across the nation have become the beneficiaries of the commitment the National Collegiate Athletic Association and its member schools are making to student-athletes by

providing them with the support needed to face the challenge of balancing athletics and academics.

In 1995, the NCAA adopted the Academic Progress Rate, or APR, a comprehensive academic reform package designed to measure a college’s academic success rate for its athletes, based on their eligibility, retention, and graduation rate. As a result of the NCAA’s watchdog efforts, Division I athletes are graduating at the highest rates ever. According to the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rates, 79 percent of athletes who entered college in 2001 earned their degrees over a six-year period.

LOCAL COLLEGES ARE STEPPING UP their efforts, too. Prior to 1995, Delaware State’s student-athlete academic program consisted of one Dec  | O&A

The12—Month Season

Sports&Health

By Richard L. Gaw

Photos by Tim Hawk

For many high school athletes, the jump to college sports becomes a challenging year-round commitment. Two Delaware colleges are helping to make that transition easier.

O

n a Sunday night 12 years ago, Damien Craighton, then a senior at William Penn High School, was competing in a national wrestling championship at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Midway through the match, he made a five-point mistake and lost 8-7 to a California wrestler.

Immediately afterward, John Smith, the legendary coach at Oklahoma State University, approached Craighton and told him that despite the loss, he was the better wrestler.

“Then he offered me a full scholarship to Oklahoma State right there, and said I had until the following Wednesday to decide,” Craighton says. (Craighton won his fourth state title that year, something that’s been accomplished by just six other high school wrestlers in Delaware.) Smith told Craighton that he would make him a national champion, but that Craighton would have to remain on the Stillwater campus for what would be a nearly year-round training regimen.

“With the exception of two weeks at Christmas,” Smith told Craighton, “your ass will be mine.”

“I wanted to be a national champion, but I also wanted a life away from wrestling,” Craighton says. “I’m very close with my family in New Castle, and I wanted to spend time with them in Rehoboth Beach during the summers, rather than stay in Oklahoma in a weight room.”

Wednesday came, and Craighton rejected the offer from Smith, who promptly extended the same scholarship to the California wrestler.

Weeks later, Craighton accepted a full athletic scholarship to Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he wrestled for four years in the 197-lb. weight class. As early as his freshman year, he discovered that balancing sports and academics was just as demanding at Drexel as it would have been at Oklahoma State.

“My entire college life was spent in the wrestling room or in the classroom,” he says. “I would get up at five every morning for a 6 a.m. practice that lasted until 7:30, then go to class, come back to the gym and run sprints for 15 minutes, then go back to class, and then go to practice from 3:30 to five o’clock. There really was no offseason. It was a business, and there were no breaks.”

IT’S BEEN SEVEN YEARS since Craighton last wrestled competitively, but a college athlete’s life continues to be dominated by the sport that has earned him his ticket to higher learning. A glimpse into the schedule of Delaware State University football player Brandon Purnsley illustrates this regimented, compartmentalized existence that finds him shuttling between classrooms, practices, and the weight room. continued on next page

www.out-and-about.com

37

Talkin’ the Talk — continued from previous page

What do you think an Obama presidency will bring for the country?

I hope what it brings is a new direction in foreign policy.

I hope that it’s less emphasis on Iraq and more emphasis on those who really were responsible for Sept. 11. There’s unďŹ nished business with Al-Qaeda. And I hope and trust that he meant what he said in terms of redeploying our eorts to go after the culprits from Sept. 11. That’s at the top of my list. I think what’s going to be important is whether people will give him the opportunity to do the job. And I hope that that will be the case. There is some question as to whether he’ll govern as someone left of center or more toward the center. I’m obviously hoping that he governs more as a centrist. The Democrats hold all the cards now, and they’re going to need to make sure they accommodate the Republicans, because if they push through a very liberal agenda, I think it will embolden the Republicans two years from now. I’m looking for American prestige abroad to be restored. I’m hopeful that some kids who are in need of a role model are going to see one in President Obama.

Maybe I’m caught up in it a little bit too close to the election, but I’m optimistic that there will be a lot of things done that have been neglected. Energy independence is another one. If I gave him any advice it would be to be very bold and to very quickly advance some comprehensive independence plan. Almost a “put a man on the moon� sort of thing. I think it’s very much a need.

You’ve often stated that capturing bin Laden should be foreign-policy priority No. 1. It’s been seven years; do you still think catching him is possible, and is it still important?

Yes, I do. And it’s not just because of him. He could be an irrelevancy at this point, but the tribal regions in Pakistan are ungoverned—some would say ungovernable—and Al-Qaeda by our own intelligence estimates has reconstituted itself in that region. So we’re almost exactly where we were seven years ago, which is really appalling. For all the bravado talk by the Bush administration, this was my most signiďŹ cant area of disappointment, and I saw John McCain as echoing a lot of those sentiments, with things like, “I’ll follow him to the gates of hell.â€? I would say, “Can’t we just follow him to the gates of Pakistan?â€? It’s not just, “Go get bin Laden.â€?

It’s bin Laden and all those who are in support of him, and who are still there and alive.

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Do you have a favorite guest among the people you’ve interviewed?

The shows that are most memorable to me are not the shows where it’s the celebrity guest. I’ll be five-for-five with recent presidents, and yet if you said to me, what is good talk radio, that would not be at the top of my list. The principle that I pretty much try and follow is a Seinfeld principle. In Seinfeld, Jerry and George have this idea that they’re going to NBC to pitch their own show and it’s going to be a show about nothing. And that’s pretty much what the show was about. And good talk radio is [similar]; it’s not left versus right, liberal versus conservative. It’s often the everyday happening that everybody can understand and have an opinion concerning. It could be something at home, it could be something that happened with the kids.

I’ll give you an example. Yesterday, I mentioned in passing that I did not ask my wife how she had voted. And people loved that subject. They wanted to have an opinion about, Was there something wrong with the fact that I didn’t ask her, or is that appropriate, or should I know?

If you can translate the everyday into a current headline, then you’re cruisin’, then you’re doing the right thing.

You’re obviously a big Phillies fan; that was apparent when you covered the parade with WIP’s Angelo Cataldi. What has that world championship done for the city?

I’ve been here my whole life, so I’ve lived through the many near-misses as well as the championships. It’s been a great unifier, particularly against the backdrop of a contentious election. As McCain and Obama were kicking the crap out of each other day to day, we were always united in the Phillies. You look at the crowd at a Phillies game and it crossed every conceivable line. I was personally fortunate in that for the last couple of years I’ve gone to Clearwater [Fla., for spring training] and done a remote broadcast, because we are their radio station. I’ve interviewed Charlie [Manuel] and I interviewed the players, and then on opening day I’m at Citizens Bank Park and I interviewed Charlie again, and then intermittently over the season I interviewed some of the players. And I’m a season ticketholder who pays for his own seats. I can’t begin to tell you what a wonderful couple of weeks I’ve just had.

While the Phillies championship is a real positive, Philadelphia continues to have a serious problem with violent crime. What are your thoughts on how the Nutter administration is addressing this problem?

It’s too soon to evaluate him. My view is that Philadelphia has a fatherhood problem more than a firearm problem, and solving that is bigger than any mayor. Creating role models for minority youth was one reason I voted for Obama. continued on next page WWW.OUT-AND-ABOUT.COM

35

Smerconish has earned a reputation for being level-headed on the air. “My approach is to be entertaining, informative, and not brow-beating,” he says.

Talkin’ the Talk — continued from previous page

are growing up and killing one another. And finally, he is better suited to unite us when this strident campaign was over and to restore our prestige around the globe.

How would you describe the typical Michael Smerconish listener?

I study the numbers, because I’m curious to know what the numbers say about who they are and where they are and so forth. But for me, the best insight came from my book tours. I did book signings in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and a couple in Delaware. When I go out to these book events I get to meet people, shake their hands, and see where they really live. Based on a combination of the hard data and the anecdotal information that I picked up from those book signings, it’s a largely suburban audience. I think they’re of a mixed political pedigree, but probably more Rs than Ds, and I probably get less of the hardcore conservative types than do the other hosts, but I collect more moderates and independents.

34 . INTERVIEW

The popularity of your show is proof that you don’t have to shout and be confrontational to be heard on talk radio. Give us a little insight into the guiding principles of the show.

My approach is to be entertaining, informative, and not brow-beating. I don’t hang up. I try not to have a short fuse on the air. It’s just not the way I approach it. I don’t find that to be entertaining. It works for others, but it’s never worked for me. I have a decided point of view, but I’m really not here to sell it to you as much as I am to offer it to you, and there’s a distinction between the two.

You often talk music on your show. If you could be any musician, who would you be?

I love that question. [Pause] Any classic-rock guitar player. I regret never having learned how to play, and recently, when two of my sons began lessons, I started with them. Within three weeks, I was the dunce of the class. I’m struggling learning to play one song—“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”—while they have a repertoire.

DEC 2008 | O&A

“C

onservative Radio Host.” That’s the usual tagline under Michael Smerconish’s bald visage when he appears on television news shows. He objects to the label. Sort of.

“Call me whatever you like,” says the 46-year-old, whose eponymous program airs from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays on Philadelphia’s 1210 AM WPHT. “But you should know that I am someone who thinks that pot and prostitution should be legalized; I don’t care what two guys do behind closed doors, nor do I want them involved in my private affairs. So far that may sound liberal, [but] I’m for torture in certain circumstances, I’m for profiling in the war on terror, and I wrote a book and gave $200,000 of profits to police charities. I’m a mixed bag, by any account.”

A Philadelphia lawyer-turned-political commentator, Smerconish has authored three books, with a fourth scheduled for March, and he writes separate, weekly columns for Philadelphia’s Daily News and Inquirer.

He has guest-hosted Bill O’Reilly’s radio show and The Glenn Beck Program on CNN. He frequently appears on Hardball, The Today Show, The Sean Hannity Show, and Lynne Doyle’s It’s Your Call. His own show has repeatedly been the No. 1 political talk program in Philadelphia, and on Nov. 10 it began simulcasting to the Washington, D.C. market.

Smerconish lives in Montgomery County with his wife and four children. We spoke to him two days after the Nov. 4 election, and he answered our questions with the same precise, full-sentence language his listeners have come to expect of the Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University.

So, if not “Conservative Talk Show Host,” what label should be under your picture when you appear on TV? Reasonable. If there were a Reasonable Party I’d be a part of it. One of the frustrating things is that the talk-radio world and the cable TV world—and I’m a big part of both of them—present a very unrealistic view of America. They portray a very red state/blue state, black/ white, R/D kind of a thing. In my own circle of friends, I know very few, if any, people who see the world entirely one way or the other. And yet to turn on TV or turn on radio, that’s the impression you get. I think that’s why a lot of people who have not listened to me intently were surprised by what I said of the presidential race.

You’re speaking of course of your endorsement a month or so before the election of Barack Obama.

What kind of reaction did you get when you came out for a liberal Democrat?

The vehemence in the emails was a bit overwhelming because it was in the thousands. Only now has that tide been stemmed. The face-to-face encounters—and I see a lot of people [at local restaurants, gas stations, and kids’ events] on a day-to-day basis—people engage me and WWW.OUT-AND-ABOUT.COM

INTERVIEW

want to talk about the presidential race, and they’re very respectful and supportive of what I have to say. I mean, look at the results. I reach an audience in the tri-state area. Delaware went for Obama and Biden; New Jersey did, particularly the counties that are my core; and the most loyal of my listeners are found in the Philadelphia suburbs. All Obama-Biden. So the people that I heard from on emails are the minority. They don’t want to engage me face-to-face. But they’re out there and I want to be mindful of their views and respect them.

I assume many of them declared they were never going to listen to you again.

Oh, absolutely. In fact, a significant number of the emails said exactly that. And you know, I had a choice to make. I made up my mind. I invested a tremendous amount of time in this election, more than any other election. I’m fortunate in that, unlike the typical voter, I got to speak to both of them. I hosted John McCain in Philadelphia on two occasions, spent significant time with him, questioned him on a one-on-one basis.

Interviewed Obama a couple of times on the radio. Went to both conventions.

Once I made up my mind, here became the dynamic: Do I keep it to myself, and spare what will be an outpouring of some very angry talk-radio listeners? Or do I tell everybody what I’m doing? And in the end, after that last debate, I decided I would almost be deceitful if I didn’t say, ‘This is what I’m doing.’ I tried to structure it to say, ‘This is what I’m doing, I’m not telling you what you ought to do. We can discuss it.’ That didn’t spare me any of the blowback.

And I’ll tell you something else. I continued to bring on my program any number of A-list McCain surrogates.

Rudy Giuliani, Joe Lieberman, Curt Schilling. All to speak in support of John McCain.

What were your reasons for endorsing Obama?

I had 750 words [in my newspaper columns] to play with, and I offered five reasons. It was never intended to be an exhaustive list, it was just, ‘What can I address in 750 words?’ I said foreign policy; more specifically, Obama’s perception on where the war on terror is compared to McCain’s. Obama looking at the Afghan-Pakistan border, McCain talking about Iraq. I said I thought Obama was better suited intellectually to deal with the economic issues we face. I said that Sarah Palin is a mismatch with Joe Biden. I said that Barack Obama would be a role model for African-American youths, too many of whom continued on next page 33

Talkin’ the Talk Despite angering his conservative listeners by endorsing Barack Obama, Philadelphia’s Michael Smerconish grows ever more popular

By Bob Yearick Photos by Tim Hawk

UPCLOSE

CELEBRATE THE GOOD TIMES At left on opposite page, children took advantage of the festivities at the Downtown Fall Fest, held Nov. 1. (photo: Jim Miller) KRS-1 (opposite page, far left) headlined the Peoples’ Festival Tribute to Bob Marley on July 26. (photo: Matt Urban) At top right, the Mingus Big Band performs at the 20th DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Fest, held in June, while above, at right, Julie Orlando introduces her friend’s baby to the evening’s sounds. (photos: Tim Hawk) Above, at left, Newark Mayor Vance Funk does the ribbon-cutting for the city’s 250th anniversary at Deer Park Tavern on April 1. (photo: Dennis Dischler)

THE SPORTING LIFE Venus Williams (top left) picked up the Women’s Singles title at Wimbledon this year, then flew into Wilmington to play against the Smash. (photo: Joe del Tufo) Above, Rebecca Wellons of NEBC/Cycle Loft/Devonshire Dental in the Trellist Women’s Pro. (photo: Tim Hawk) At left, Point-to-Point marked its 30th anniversary at Winterthur in May. (photo: Carrin Ackerman)

UPCLOSE

PHILLIES PHEVER TAKES HOLD Fans took to the streets of Philly on Oct. 31 to congratulate this year’s team, which brought home the city’s first major sports championship in 25 years, and the first for the Phillies in 28 years. (photos: Tim Hawk)

THEY LIKE US, THEY REALLY LIKE US Wilmington welcomed Wilco (above; photo: Joe del Tufo) and Jenny Lewis (left; photo: Joe del Tufo) at the Grand Opera House this year, while Extreme Makeover: Home Edition selected a house in the city for one of its episodes. (photo: Matt Urban)

2008: A Year in Review

DO YOU BELIEVE IN CHANGE? YES! “[We will] wonder...whether the Obamas’ passing-through was a feverish moment that came to an end or merely a stop on the way to bigger places,” we wrote in our March issue earlier this year, when both President-Elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle made separate trips to Wilmington within three days of each other. (photos: Joe del Tufo) Clearly the latter, as Obama, with running mate and Delaware’s own Joe Biden (shown with wife Jill at Return Day last month on opposite page; photo: Chuck Snyder) won a historic election.

www.out-and-about.com

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PLAY LIKE A ROCK STAR Arden tournament lets video-gamers live out fantasies while competing for cash

M

usic sales may be nose-diving, but interest in being a rock star is stronger than ever.

Consider the Guitar Hero videogame series, whose four titles have sold, according to Reuters, a whopping 23 million units in its three years of existence; or Rock Band, which has chalked up 4 million in sales. (A sequel was released for Xbox in September, with versions for other consoles released in October.)

What drives these games’ popularity, of course, is their interactivity—who hasn’t wanted to be in a band? Now, a tournament at the Arden Club Theatre sweetens the deal by asking: Who doesn’t like money?

On Saturday, Dec. 13, the theater will host a Guitar Hero & Rock Band Tournament, where players in two age brackets (17 and younger; 18 and older) put their video-game-rock-star skills to good use by competing for more than $1,000 in cash prizes.

If you think you’re up to snuff, go to ardenclubtheatre.org, download the registration form, and turn it in to the Arden Club Theatre before Dec. 8.

There’s a $10 admission fee.

— Michael Pollock

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City Theater Company 12/5-20: Cabaret. Classic musical about 1920s Berlin. Location: Opera Delaware Studios, 4 S. Poplar St., Wilm. (city-theater.org).

Delaware Theatre Company 12/3-21: Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Steve Martin play about a fictional meeting between Einstein and Picasso in Paris. Location: Delaware Theatre Company. 200 Water St., Wilm. (delawaretheatre.org, 594-1100).

Grand Opera House 12/3: An Evening with David Byrne. The former Talking Head performs pieces composed with producer Brian Eno. 12/3: Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands. Grammy-winning fiddler performs American folk tunes. 12/4: Dark Star Orchestra. Grateful Dead tribute band performs set lists completely and accurately. 12/5: The Cab Calloway Orchestra.

Grandson Calloway Brooks leads a jumping jazz orchestra. 12/6: John Prine. The rootsbased singer/songwriter performs. 12/21: Burning River Brass Christmas. Seasonal melodies highlight the offerings of this 12piece brass ensemble. Location: Grand Opera House. 818 N. Market St., Wilm. (grandopera.org, 652-5577).

Scwartz Center for the Arts 12/18, 19: Scrooge! Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Location: Schwartz Center for the Arts. 226 S. State St., Dover (schwartzcenter.com, 302/678-5152).

The Wilma Theater 12/3 - 1/4: Schmucks. Account of a fictitious meeting between comic legends Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce. Location: The Wilma Theater. 265 S. Broad St., Phila., Pa. (wilmatheater.org, 215/546-7824).

Wilmington Drama League 12/12-29: The Sound of Music. Classic tale of Capt. Baron von Trapp, his seven children, and the governess who comes into their lives. Location: Wilmington Drama League.

10 W. Lea Blvd., Wilm. (wdl.org, 764-1172).

Dec  | O&A

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DCCA lifts its admission fees but stays committed to giving artists a platform

W

all Street crashes, global markets tumble, 401Ks disappear, homes are foreclosed. But the art, that much remains.

And now it’s free—at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, anyway. In November, the DCCA lifted all admission fees. During economic crises, they argued in a recent newsletter, “we need the arts, and most especially the arts of our own time, more than ever.” They went on: “From the beginning, the DCCA was founded on principles of inclusiveness and accessibility. Our ongoing, award-winning outreach programs have demonstrated our continuing commitment to serving the underserved in our community. And now, as we approach our 30th anniversary, we have committed ourselves to opening DCCA’s doors to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Several exhibits are on display now though the new year. They include collagist James Lipovac’s The Swan, a Shark, and the Glacier, made up of images the artist has

collected on streets as well as online, and Donald Camp’s Dust Shaped Hearts – New Orleans (pictured above), a collection of photographs that examines racial and gender stereotypes. For more on these and other ongoing exhibits, visit thedcca.org.

— Michael Pollock

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21

EVENTSCALENDAR — continued from page 19

Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery 12/5 - 1/3: Out of the Doghouse. Whimsical paintings of dogs, by Anna Bellenger. Location: Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery.

3625 Silverside Rd., Wilm. (478-1163).

University of Delaware Gallery Thru 12/7: Poles Apart: Art and Science in Polar Exploration. Exhibition featuring photographs from the Library of the American Geographical Society. Location: University Gallery, Old College. 30 N. College Ave., Newark (udel.edu/museums, 831-8037).

■ KIDS

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WWW.JANSSENSMARKET.COM 3801 KENNETT PIKE, GREENVILLE, DE | 302.654.9941

Delaware Museum of Natural History

Dig dinosaurs? presented by

Experience

Fossil dig Live animals Paleontology talks Prehistoric portraits Meet “Mr. Fossil” Crafts and games Scavenger hunt

Saturday, December 27 and Sunday, December 28

Face painting ... and more!

9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. both days 4840 Kennett Pike Wilmington, DE 19807 302-658-9111 www.delmnh.org

Delaware Children’s Theatre 12/6-21: Babes in Toyland. Performances at 2pm. Location: Delaware Children’s Theatre. 1014 Delaware Ave, Wilm. (dechildrenstheatre.org, 655-1014).

Delaware Museum of Natural History 1/4-9/20: Eyes on Earth. Interactive exhibit that explores space technology used to predict storms, monitor forest fires, and study the ozone layer. Location: Delaware Museum of Natural History. 4840 Kennett Pike, Wilm. (delmnh.org, 658-9111).

Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory 12/1-15: Public Nights. Adults and students fifth grade and older are invited to attend hands-on discussions about the night sky.

Location: 1610 Hillside-Mill Rd.,Greenville (mountcuba.org, 654-6407).

■ LOCAL Arden Club Theatre 12/12: A Christmas Story. The holiday classic with Ralphie on a mission to get a Red Ryder BB gun. 12/12: Breakfast with Santa. $6 for all ages. Location: Arden Club Theatre.

2126 The Highway, Arden (ardenclubtheatre. org, 475-3126).

Celebrity Kitchens 12/12: Holiday Cheer. Rosemary-roasted petit tenderloin with Gorgonzola butter.

12/16: Elegant But Light. Cream-less creamy squash soup, shrimp bruschetta, and Beef Wellington. 12/17: Feast of the 7 Fishes. Chef Scott Clarke presents his take on the Italian tradition. 12/20: One Enchanted Evening.

Hosted by Riche Griffin of Dish!. 12/22: Magical Moments for the Holidays. Classic crab bisque with salt-crusted filet of beef — continued on page 22

20 . Events Calendar

Dec  | O&A

■ ARTS Biggs Museum of American Art 12/6: Paper Dolls. Children ages 5-10 create paper costumes of their favorite characters in the museum. Location: Biggs Museum of American Art. 406 Federal St., Dover (biggsmuseum.org, 302/674-2111).

Brandywine River Museum Thru 1/11: Scenes of the Season: Paintings and Illustrations from the Collection.

Winter landscapes and images from The Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol, among other stories. Includes works by N.C. Wyeth. Location: U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, Pa. (brandywinemuseum.org, 610/388-2700).

Chadds Ford Historical Society Thru 12/5: The Historic Houses Through Artists’ Eyes. Portraits of houses built over the last four centuries. Location: Chadds Ford Historical Society Visitors’ Barn. 1736 N. Creek Rd., Chadds Ford, Pa. (chaddsfordhistory.org, 610/388-7376).

Delaware Art Museum 12/5: Poetic Tribute to Gordon Parks.

Cutting-edge poetry along with classic poems composed by Gordon Parks. 12/13: Holiday House Tour. Self-guided tour of Wilmington homes and artist studios decorated for the holidays. Location: Delaware Art Museum.

2301 Kentmere Pkwy., Wilm. (delart.org, 571-9590).

Delaware College of Art & Design 12/6, 7, 13, 14: Weekend Workshop.

Photographing artwork. Location: Delaware College of Art & Design. 600 N. Market St., Wilm. (dcad.edu, 622-8000).

Hagley Museum & Library Thru 1/4: Give It Your Best: Workplace Posters in the United States. Vintage posters created from 1917 until WWII. Location: Hagley Museum. 298 Buck Road East, Wilm. (hagley.org, 658-2400).

Hardcastle Gallery 12/1-31: W. James McGlynn & the Art of Gift-Giving. New images from watercolor artist W. James McGlynn. Location: Hardcastle Gallery. 5714 Kennett Pike, Centreville (hardcastlegallery.com, 655-5230).

EVENTSCALENDAR Philadelphia Art Museum Thru 12/28: Thomas Chambers (18081869): American Marine and Landscape Painter. Chambers’ style and sources through 40 of his own paintings and 20 related works.

Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art. 26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., Phila., Pa. (philamuseum.org, 215/763-8100).

Somerville Manning Gallery Thru 1/3: American Green - Art & Stewardship. Exhibit celebrating our nation’s natural resources. Includes works by Jamie Wyeth and George A. Weymouth. Location: Breck’s Mill, 2nd Floor. 101 Stone Block Row, Greenville (somervillemanning.com, 652-0271).

The Station Gallery 12/5-24: Art Works for the Holidays.

Paintings, jewelry, ceramics, glass ornaments, Giclée prints, and antique book plates. Location: The Station Gallery. 3922 Kennett Pike, Greenville (stationgallery net, 654-8638).

— continued on next page

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19

FACE TO FACE DuPont Theatre’s Frost/Nixon recreates the famous TV showdown

I

See you at the Women in Business Luncheon!

t was a series of one-on-one interviews that pitted a nervous broadcaster against a battered president. David Frost, the British TV personality, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to net air-time with the man who years earlier had disgraced the United States of America. Journalist vs. politician. Schemer vs. schemer.

Both with plenty to lose.

DuPont Theatre recreates the legendary exchange this month with Frost/Nixon, running Dec. 9-14. The play examines the drama—both on-set and off—as Frost works to cement his career and Nixon looks to redeem his.

Prolific screen actor Stacy Keach (American History X) portrays the ousted 37th President. For more, go to duponttheatre.com. And for a look at the Ron Howard-directed film version now in theaters, see Mark Fields’ column on pg. 67.

— Michael Pollock

FOR WOMEN 18 & OLDER

302.650.0695 www.slumberpartiesbydebelynne.com 18 . Events Calendar

Dec  | O&A

EVENTSCALENDAR

Ruddertowne’s 25th Annual

New Year’s Eve

Party

DO IT LIKE THE DUDE CTC bowling benefit tips its hat to The Big Lebowski

L

eave it to an irreverent and wildly entertaining arts group like the City Theater Company to combine a bowling fundraiser with a cult-classic movie. In fact, leave it to the City Theater Company to combine fundraising with bowling in the first place.

CTC’s “All-U-Can-Roll” fundraiser at Pleasant Hill Lanes on Newport Pike, on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9 to 11 p.m., invites bowlers to roll like “The Dude” (Jeffrey Lebowski, Jeff Bridges’ uber-chill character in The Big Lebowski).

Enjoy White Russians (The Dude’s favorite drink) and all the bowling you can handle, plus an open beer bar and a pirate BBQ. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

Proceeds benefit the City Theater Company. For more, visit city-theater.org.

— Michael Pollock

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16 . Events Calendar

Dec  | O&A

OUTFRONT

By Bob Yearick A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to point out some of the most common mistakes in the way Americans speak and write

Media Watch

Dept. of Redundant Redundancies

This might be subtitled: I’ll See Your Woof and Raise You a Gaff:

Headline on recent press release sent to O&A editors: “The 10 Most Quintessential Philadelphia Movies.”

Actually, there can only be one “quintessential,” which means purest, or most characteristic. The addition of the adjective “most” merely compounds the error.

Terrell Owens, Cowboys wide receiver, assured reporters recently that his “mental state of mind is fine.”

“Man Woofs Down 14-lb. Hamburger”— headline from Comcast.net. To woof, in today’s parlance, is to express oneself in a boastful or aggressive manner. What was meant, of course, was “Wolfs Down.”

“Another Gaff by Biden”—headline on Fox News.

A gaff is a pole with a hook that is used to land large fish. A gaffe, on the other hand, is a mistake, which is what Fox News committed here.

Then there was the political pundit on MSNBC who talked about the McCain campaign’s penchant for “disassembling.” While the wheels indeed may have been falling off the campaign toward the end, what the pundit meant was dissembling, meaning to conceal or avoid the truth.

Literally of the Month Herewith a new feature, in which we highlight the abuse of the most misused and overused word in the language, literally.

Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner, on embattled cornerback Adam Jones: “He’s literally on a high wire without a net.” (From the “They Said It” feature in the Oct. 20 issue of Sports Illustrated.)

tF ro Out ut Fr ro t

Word of the Month Gravitas. You see it all the time, so why not start using it? It means substance; weightiness; or serious, dignified, as in “Our president should have a certain air of gravitas.”

Signs of the Apocalypse During the Phillies’ championship run, it seems that “Marty from Delaware” called in to an XM radio sports talk show and said something like, “Boston did it, the White Sox did it. Why can’t us?” Unbelievably, there immediately began a movement among fans and some broadcasters and writers to make this the Phils’ slogan.

The upshot: you can get your “Why Can’t Us” T-shirts and hoodies online at shop.cafepress.com.

Heard or seen a good (bad) one lately? Drop us a line at allwriter@comcast.net. And check out Bob Yearick’s novel, Sawyer, on Amazon or at the publisher’s website: bayoakpublishers.com. It’s a great Christmas present for the football fan.

XA XX Deec Dec De c    | O&A O&

THEATER TICKETS!

ET BASK ER! E H OF C

FRUIT FLOWER BASKETS! IF YOU WON $100 FROM AN OUT & ABOUT CONTEST, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND THE T MONEY? Go out to dinner Buy clothes Go to a show Save it Other:________________________________ HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A READER OF OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE? Less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7 years or more WHAT IS YOUR ZIP CODE? ________________________________ OUT & ABOUT IS RE-DOING ITS WEBSITE. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Contests Photos Blogs Dining directory Music calendar General calendar of events Other:________________________________ WHAT CONTENT DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN OUT & ABOUT? Interviews Photos Food & drink Music Sports & recreation Events calendar Other:________________________________ WHAT CONTENT DO YOU WANT TO SEE LESS OF IN OUT & ABOUT? Interviews Photos Food & drink Music Sports & recreation Events calendar Other:________________________________

DINNER FOR TWO!

CHECK THE ACTIVITIES YOU PARTICIPATE IN REGULARLY: Bicycling Environmental issues Golf Photography Dieting Physical fitness Science/technology Health/natural foods Skiing Tennis Watching TV Sports Camping/hiking Sailing Fishing Video games Fine art/antiques Improving health Gourmet cooking Music Avid book reading Politics Running/jogging Religious activities Computers Self-improvement Walking for health Home decorating Wines Cultural/arts events Community activities Travel Hunting/shooting Needlework/knitting Grandchildren Real Estate Dining Swimming Competitive sports Coaching/mentoring Community projects/volunteering YOUR OCCUPATION: Homemaker Service worker Professional tradesperson Technical Retired executive Student Management Business owner Sales/marketing Educator Military Clergy Work from home Clerical Worker Other:____________________ LEVEL OF EDUCATION (check the highest completed): Some high school or less Some graduate school Completed high school Some college Completed college Completed graduate school Voc./Tech. school HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO PICK UP OUT & ABOUT EACH MONTH? Pick it up every month Pick it up when I see it Rarely pick it up Never pick it up MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT OUT & ABOUT IS...

Covers Photos Contests Interviews Features Editorial tone Other:________________________________ IF OUT & ABOUT WAS TO CREATE A NEW EVENT, WHAT TYPE OF EVENT SHOULD IT BE? __________________________________________________________________________ AGE: 18-25 26-31 32-37 38-45 46-54 55-64 65 and older GENDER: Male Female MARITAL STATUS: Married Widowed Divorced/separated Never married (single)

IPod SH UF

FLE! iTunes GIFT CARDS!

Photo provided

Aloha, Delaware!

A group of First State natives, now living in Hawaii, celebrate their roots

I

f Delaware’s rubber-band effect snaps back anyone who tries to venture too far from our beloved state, maybe there’s an opposite force slinging folks far, far away. As far as Hawaii, even.

According to First State native-turned-Hawaii resident Adele Rugg (who grew up in Seaford, where her parents ran Rugg’s Music Shop), Dec. 7 is Delaware Day in Maui.

In fact, it has been for 20 years.

“I started this event because I know in Florida there is, or was, a very active Delaware community who held an annual event,” writes Rugg, who’s been living in Hawaii for almost 30 years. “So I wanted to do the same thing here on Maui.”

She reports that the new chaplain at the Maui Memorial Medical Center is from the Wilmington/ Greenville area and the sole male member of the Kihei Canoe Club—made up of breast-cancer survivors— is from Hockessin. And, she writes, “We have polo, represented by Brandywine Polo Stables and the Knox Weymouth family.”

Any Delawareans who happen to be in Maui on the 7th are more than welcome to stop by Stella Blues Restaurant in the Azeka Shopping Center on South Kihei Road for the festivities.

TA K E S U R V E Y. W I N COOL S T U F F. TAKE SURVEY. WIN COOL STUFF. MED WINNERS NA !

EACH MONTH

FILL OUT ONLINE @ OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM OR MAIL TO: 307 A STREET WILMINGTON, DE 19801

— Michael Pollock

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10 . Out Front

Dec  | O&A

SNAPSHOTS

1.

4.

2.

5.

3.

6.

1. These ladies were dressed to impress during Hollywood Halloween at Caffe Gelato. Photo by Jim Miller 2. (L to R): Suzy Casey, Melanie Monnig, and Erin O’Connor at Party with a Purpose, held Oct. 24 at the Greenville Country Club. Photo by Ben LeRoy 3. Bob Downing, Janet Conigliaro and Betsy LeRoy at Party with a Purpose. Photo by Ben LeRoy 4. Jessica Cowperthwait (left) and Bev Zimmerman at Party with a Purpose. Photo by Ben LeRoy 5. The U.S Men’s Olympic Swimming Team shows off the gold at the Halloween Loop. Photo by Jim Miller 6. (L to R): Erin Reynolds, Jaclyn Pack, Laura Tuoni, and Ashley Constantini at Party with a Purpose. Photo by Jim Miller

1.

4.

2.

3.

5.

1. Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Waldo? Everywhere at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Halloween Loop, held Oct. 25 in downtown Wilmington. Photo by Jim Miller 2. An antique fire truck, courtesy of the Merchantville Fire Dept., on display at the Downtown Fall Fest, held Nov. 1 in downtown Wilmington. Photo by Jim Miller 3. Face-painting and hay mazes were big at the Downtown Fall Fest. Photo by Jim Miller 4. DJ Skinny White spins records at the Jaycees Brew Review at Ameritage on Oct. 23. Photo by Jim Miller 5. Employees of Caffe Gelato in Newark look for ghosts during Hollywood Halloween on Oct. 30. Photo by Jim Miller

FROM the PUBLISHER

Published each month by TSN Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Mailing & business address: 307 A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Publisher: Gerald DuPhily Associate Editor: Bob Yearick Managing Editor: Michael Pollock Director of Publications/Sales & Marketing: Jim Hunter Miller Art Director: Matthew “Velociman” Loeb Account Executive: Marie Graham Senior Graphic Designer: Joy Smoker Junior Graphic Designer: Shawna Sneath Senior Writers: Pam George, Larry Nagengast Scott Pruden, Bob Yearick Contributing Writers: Kendra Acker, Dan Butler, Kaytie Dowling Sophie DuPhily, Mark Fields, Richard L. Gaw Carol Kipp, Steven Leech Contributing Photographers: Joe del Tufo, Dennis Dischler Lindsay DuPhily, Tim Hawk Les Kipp, Matt Urban Director of Information Technology: Chris Marts Special Projects: Gordon DelGiorno For editorial and advertising information: (302) 655-6483 • FAX (302) 654-0569 Website: www.out-and-about.com Email: contact@tsnpub.com

Vote of Confidence

F

or such a dramatic election, my personal trip to the polling station held little drama. I bet yours was similarly uneventful.

Whether your choice was McCain or Obama, it’s my bet you showed up at your polling place, waited in line for a half-hour or less, voted your conscience, then went about your day. Is this a great country or what!

How extraordinary that selecting the leader of our country can be so ordinary. No secret police, no rioting, no shadowy figures doling out bribes. More than 99 million Americans voted last month in one of the most fiercely contested campaigns in recent memory, yet did you hear of even a fistfight at a polling place? Neither did I. Regardless of whether your choice won, take pride in how civil the exercise was—again. Voting for our national leader has become as routine as a morning coffee stop, and that fact alone is worth celebrating. In other parts of the world, democracy in action is rarely so commonplace.

My particular experience couldn’t have been more uneventful —and pleasant. Since my daughter was off for the day (because her school was serving as a voting site), my wife and I had her accompany us to our polling station. After a convenient halfmile drive to the Kennett (Pa.) Township Municipal Building, we were greeted by volunteers of both parties who offered us coffee and donuts—no strings attached. We savored the mild weather, exchanged pleasantries with fellow voters, made our selections, and were on our way. My daughter actually joined me in the booth (in reality it was a chest-high desk enclosed by a three-sided partition) as I penciled in my choices. Though expecting a much more technologically advanced process, she quickly downgraded and reminded me to “completely fill in the circles or it won’t count.”

Sage advice from a veteran of middle-school testing. The entire visit took about 20 minutes, tops.

As always, I felt inspired by the experience. Voting, especially in a presidential year, is invigorating. Judging by the excitement in my daughter’s eyes, she found the experience invigorating as well.

Hours later we would watch the early returns together, analyze the analysis (Wolf Blitzer really does look like Wolverine in X-Men), and discuss how things were going for our ticket (Obama-Biden).

The rest, as we all know, truly is history.

The drama? It was where it was supposed to be, in the results.

The voting experience? Just another day at the polls, really.

In fact, through the years my participation in the voting process has been pleasantly predictable. Makes you proud to be an American.

jduphily@tsnpub.com

www.out-and-about.com

7

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6 . Inside

Dec  | O&A

INSIDE

pg 8

pg 30

pg 32

pg 75

O&ACONTENTS December 2008, Vol. 21, No. 10 www.out-and-about.com

FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2008: A YEAR IN REVIEW 28 From Barack to Biden, from Extreme Makeover to extreme Phillies fans, we present a look back at the crazy and once-in-a-lifetime year that was 2008.

32 THE O&A INTERVIEW: MICHAEL SMERCONISH Despite angering his conservative listeners by endorsing Barack Obama, Philadelphia’s Michael Smerconish grows ever more popular. By Bob Yearick 37

THE 12-MONTH SEASON

For many high school athletes, the jump to college sports becomes a challenging year-round commitment. A look at how two Delaware colleges are making that transition easier. By Richard L. Gaw

57 SHORT STORY WINNER: “AFTERMATH” The second-place entry in our annual writing contest. By Barbara Gray

DEPARTMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8

Snap Shots

12

Out Front

17

Monthly Events Calendar

42

Bud Light Film Crew

45

In Wilmington

49

Riverfront

55

Food & Drink

67

Movies

71

Music

79

Nightlife

www.out-and-about.com

5

Going out tonight?

So are we.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re setting up DUI checkpoints every week, everywhere in Delaware. Thousands of people drive through them. Chances are youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be next. The legal, social and financial consequences of drinking and driving are severe. So why risk it?

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One gift fits all Delaware Lottery Holiday Instant tickets are the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

delottery.com Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Law: You must be 18 years old to play. Play Responsibly: If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Delaware Gambling Helpline at 1-888-850-8888. Player Information: In Delaware: 1-800-338-6200. From out of state: 1-302-736-1436.

www.out-and-about.com

3

Wherever You Want to Be...

Amelia Simmons

B.S. in Behavioral Science, 2009

Start Here.

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Timothy’s of Newark

Good Times, Great Food, and Friendly People Thursday

Sunday NFL Fantastic Food & Drink Specials • $1.50 Coors Light Pints • $4.00 Tall Captain Drinks • $5.00 Bloody Mary Bar • $6.99 Food Specials All You Can Eat Baby Back Ribs

Free Happy Hour BuËet 4-7pm Upstairs Bar All you can peel & eat shrimp 13.99 2.00 you call at the bar 5-8pm Texas Hold em Tournaments 7pm

Friday Monday NFL Fantastic Food & Drink Specials All You Can Eat Baby Back Ribs Kids Eat Free With Adult Purchase

Free Happy Hour BuËet Discounted Drink Prices Prime Rib-Queen & King Cuts

Saturday

Tuesday

Chef Specials

35¢ wings & $1.50 Yuengling Pints Texas Hold em Tounaments 7pm

Wednesday Half Price Burgers Salsa Lessons & Dancing 9pm

20 BEERS ON DRAFT FREE WIFI INTERNET SERVICE BANQUETS FOR EVERY OCCASION Up to 150 People HEALTHY JUICE DRINKS Including Wheatgrass Shots

100 Creek View Road • Newark, DE 19711 | 302-738-9915 • www.timothysofnewark.com

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours

McGlynns in Dover Now Open!

Situated on beautiful Silver Lake.

We do Sunday brunch with the biggest and best Bloody Mary Bar in Dover!

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83

present

SANTA

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