The entire month of October is a busy one for Sussex County. For art and music lovers (and those who just love to be outdoors enjoying festivals) it’s a bonanza of events taking place in a variety of locations. So let’s jump in to highlight a great local options.
On Sunday, October 6, the University of Delaware/Lewes College of Earth, Ocean and Environment celebrates Coast Day. The indoor/outdoor event runs from 10 am – 3 pm at UD’s Hugh R. Sharp campus at 1044 College Drive in Lewes. The campus is home to the giant white windmill that can be seen from miles around.
Coast Day is an opportunity to learn more about Coastal, Marine and Environmental science, It attracts more than 5,000 from across the region who come to interact with a wide range of exhibitors, attend various informative lectures, tour the UD CEMA Weather Station, lab tours, ship tours and experience Marine critter touch tanks.
Fifth grade students are invited to take part in the Coast Day Essay Contest. So get your grandkids in on the fun (details are on the website). The deadline for submission is October 11.
Also on the docket is the Milton Art Guild’s Art Walk on October 12th, 10am to 3pm and Camp Rehoboth’s Block Party on October 20th, 11am to 4pm. Both community events feature artists, music, food and beverages. The Milton Art Guild shares a “Map of the Walk” available at its gallery on Federal Street (which is itself a pivotal stop in the Art Walk”). The Block Party features a number of artistic, community, and cultural organizations to add to the fun including Clear Space Theater, the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, and the Freedom Boat Club.
For those interested in releasing their alter egos, it is time to don your Halloween costume thinking cap and get ready for the annual Sea Witch Festival scheduled for the weekend of October 25-27. (Of course, it isn’t necessary to dress in costume to enjoy the festival–but it sure is more fun!)
There are many events planned for the weekend, but the highlights each year are always the “people parade” on Saturday and the “doggie parade” on Sunday. This year’s theme is Paranormal Piranha. Entire families dress up and march in the people parade that starts near the Rehoboth Convention Center, and winds down Rehoboth Avenue to the bandstand and back. Bands, including the ever-popular Woodland Mummers group, floats, community organizations and, this year, politicians follow the costumed walkers along the route. The parade runs from 11 am to about 1:30 pm and prizes are awarded in a variety of categories.
Plenty of people dress up to match their pets’ costumes in Sunday’s doggie parade too. It starts at the north end of the boardwalk at 1 pm and ends just south of Rehoboth Avenue. Both events ooze creativity.
Other family-oriented events are planned during the three-day weekend. The Sea Witch Program is available on the RB/Dewey Chamber of Commerce website and a major fundraiser for the chamber.
The Sea Witch Festival parade attracted about 100,000 people last year. so attending requires some careful planning and an early arrival. DART buses will provide regular transportation for the event.
Mary Jo Tarallo spent much of her career in public relations with various non-profits and spent 40 years involved with the ski industry as a journalist, public relations director for a national trade association and as executive director of the Learn to Ski and Snowboard initiative. Prior to her ski industry involvement she worked for the Maryland International Center in Baltimore and United Way of Central Maryland. She won a Gold Award for TV programming for a United Way simulcast that starred Ophrah Winfrey. She has been cited for her work by numerous organizations. Mary Jo grew up in Baltimore, attended the University of Maryland and Towson University, lived in Washington, DC for 21 years and has been a full time resident of Rehoboth Beach and Milton since May 2019.
Please send me the free updates
Thanks